For more than two decades, the Dallas Mavericks on the Chinese market called themselves "little cows" - long enough, team owner Mark Cuban found himself and ordered a renaming. Dirk Nowitzki's NBA club conducted a fan survey on the Chinese microblogging service Sina Weibo - and is now calling itself "Lone Ranger Heroes" in China. More than 50,000 comments had been received, and the club chose its favourite from three preferred suggestions. Also in the race were "Fierce Colts" and "Wild Horses".
Basketball is one of the thriving sports in China - and thus a particularly important market for the NBA. The league's top stars such as LeBron James or Kevin Durant have developed a distinctive star cult there, all games are broadcast live and merchandising articles are extremely popular. With its own professional league and sometimes erroneous salaries, China itself tries to attract NBA stars. Clearly, the Dallas Mavericks are trying to make an attractive impression here.
