MIAMI — Two-time NBA champion Dwyane Wade has signed with Chinese sportswear provider Li-Ning which is giving the Miami Heat guard his own brand within the company along with plenty of creative and strategic input.

The partnership was announced recently in Beijing, where Li-Ning is headquartered and where the Heat were visiting for the NBA China Games tour.

Wade told The Associated Press that he expected the Li-Ning deal to continue through at least the remainder of his playing career. He wore Converse for his first six seasons, then Jordan Brand for the past three years.

“It was a great nine years but, for me, it was just time to move on,” Wade told the AP. “I have certain goals that I want to reach and I felt that I had to leave to reach those. So I’m doing things a little differently. That’s how I am, in a sense. I’m not necessarily a status-quo type guy.”

Wade’s line of apparel and footwear is to be available at Li-Ning retail stores and online in China “soon,” with a U.S. retail debut expected in 2013.