Jordan sues Chinese sportswear firm over name use

Basketball legend Michael Jordan has filed a lawsuit in China against a Chinese sportswear company, accusing the firm of unauthorised use of his name.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame recipient and former Chicago Bulls star said on Thursday that Qiaodan Sports, a company located in the southern Fujian province, had built its business around his Chinese name and jersey number without his permission.

"It is deeply disappointing to see a company build a business off my Chinese name without my permission, use the number 23 and even attempt to use the names of my children," Jordan said in a statement.

"This complaint is not about money. It's about principle and protecting my name," he added.

Jordan is known as Qiaodan in China that has produced its own basketball superstar in Yao Ming. The moniker was registered by Qiaodan Sports, the statement said. It did not specify what compensation Jordan was seeking from the company.

A Qiaodan Sports spokesman said he had not received details of the case from the company's legal department, and thus could not comment on it. Over the past few years, it has become the Olympic partner of Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. And in 2010, it became the official partner of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).

Jordan filed the case on Tuesday in a Chinese court.