Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant recently signed with Jay Z’s sports marketing firm ‘Roc Nation’. According to Bryant, the biggest reason for the move is to reach “icon” status. He wants to become a household name, not only around the country, but around the world. One step his team is taking to help him achieve icon status is integrating into the NBA market, which at this time, is much more global than the NFL.
Via CBS:
A source close to Bryant tells me that Dez’s “Throw Up The X” marketing experts are working on creating Dallas Mavericks jerseys emblazoned with “BRYANT 88″ on them.
It’s not clear how the NFL, the NBA or Jay-Z will be involved in this push.
But I know who has succumbed to the push: none other than LeBron James.
Sources tell me that even though the jerseys have yet to be produced, there is an order already on the books, from Cleveland Cavaliers superstar James, who happens to be a Cowboys fan — and the possessor of the sort of iconic status Dez desires.
While the Cowboys are in London getting ready to play against the Jaguars, Dez has already seen kids doing his signature throwing up the X. He looks at it as a good sign his brand is going worldwide. With the help of LeBron who is certainly a household name across the world, the possibilities for a player of Bryant’s caliber are endless.