Having a signature shoe as an NBA athlete is a stamp of approval from both the NBA and fans on how popular and well received they are across the world. “I cried,” said D-Lo when speaking on getting his first Li-Ning signature delivered to his house. Prior to his Li-Ning partnership however, Russell was skeptical of Dwyane Wade’s vision.
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Wade left Jordan brand to sign with Li-Ning in 2012, building an empire for himself in the East Asian market. It didn’t take long for him to launch his ‘Way of Wade’ line, à la what Jordan brand is to Nike.
Similar to how Jordan brand signs athletes, Wade scouted talent. D’Angelo Russell became the first All-Star caliber player to be sought out by the 3x champ.
Russell’s contract with Nike had expired in the 2018-19 season, making him a free agent. After showing off a couple Puma and Adidas silhouettes, he eventually did sign with Li-Ning at the start of the 2019-20 campaign.
I’m excited to announce I’ve just signed my first signature athlete – D’Angelo Russell. @Dloading is the perfect player & person to continue the work that I started with @WayofWade. @Dloading…here’s to making your own way. Thank you for believing in us! pic.twitter.com/fPKx51sDDp
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) November 21, 2019
“He [Wade] mentioned it to me, kind of planted that seed. I didn’t really see the vision,” said D-Lo, speaking on his initial reaction to Dwyane’s pitch. This makes sense given that ‘Way of Wade’, while it had come out with 7 models by 2019, wasn’t as well-known and established as Adidas, Converse, or Puma.
“Then when we went to dinner together and we branched off to talk about a multitude of different things, I knew this was somebody that I could really learn from. He’s already got the blueprint out there.”
Fast-forward to summer 2025 and Russell has his own signature shoe called the Wade DLo 1. Given Li-Ning’s pedigree, it was to be expected that this sneaker was going to be good. Reputed shoe reviewer ‘Marky’ said, “Great first signature shoe, I’m giving this an 8.7/10,” after raving about its ‘Boom’ cushioning, durability, and design.
“Obviously he was an All-Star. I love his game But I love his style. What I’m excited about for the brand is the style and what he’s bringing to it. I told him, I wear all his stuff now. I got his lifestyle shoes on right now,” said Wade at the Fanatics Fest panel.
It’s clear that D-Wade is incredibly pleased with the reception that Russell’s gotten from fans. With him now being on the Mavericks, he’ll be under national spotlight night in and night out, making it even easier for onlookers to spot Li-Nings on his feet.
