Alibaba.com signs NBA legend Tony Parker as brand ambassador ahead of Paris Olympics

Advertisements featuring the basketball star will appear across the French capital during the Olympic Games

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Ann Caoin Shanghai

Published: 8:00am, 10 Jul 2024

Alibaba.com, a cross-border business-to-business e-commerce platform owned by Alibaba Group Holding, has signed French-American basketball star Tony Parker as its new brand ambassador ahead of the Paris Olympics, as the Chinese technology giant focuses more attention on the European market.

Advertisements featuring the four-time NBA championship winner will appear across the French capital at airports, train and metro stations, as well as on the famed Champs-Elysees, according to a WeChat post published by Alibaba.com on Tuesday evening.

Parker “can use his proven experience to attract more overseas entrepreneurs and start-ups to buy from Alibaba.com”, the post read, referring to him as a “successful basketball player-turned-entrepreneur”.

“Coupled with the sports boom in an Olympic year, the partnership will provide small and medium-sized enterprises in China with huge opportunities to expand to overseas markets.”

Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

The latest marketing move by Alibaba.com reflects widening efforts by the Hangzhou-based online shopping juggernaut to grow its international business amid tepid demand at home.

Europe is one of Alibaba’s key targets. The company currently offers five-day online-shopping delivery in Germany, France and Portugal, in addition to the US, Mexico and Saudi Arabia, supported by Alibaba’s smart logistics network Cainiao.