Off the court, Thompson is known for his quiet and unassuming persona, preferring to flee the bedlam of the post-game hordes as quickly as possible to play with his pet dog at home.

However, during his China trip, fans witnessed a more outgoing Thompson.

Besides shooting hoops with the locals, he sampled "smelly tofu" in Changsha, Hunan province, tried out bike-sharing and joined a group of pensioners for a spirited round of guangchangwu (square dancing) in Shenyang, Liaoning province.

The most tweeted moment of his tour, however, was a clip of him missing six dunks in a row in Chengdu. The video went viral in both China and the US.

"It was embarrassing ... but it was funny. It made for a good laugh," Thompson said. "I'm a shooter, and I've never been known as a good dunker like Vince Carter or Kobe Bryant. But you can't let that discourage you, just keep trying.

"Thank God, I was able to do it in the next city."

Anta was understandably thrilled with the exposure.

"Klay is an inspiring figure to young basketball fans because he is always willing to take challenges and show a strong team spirit," said James Zheng, president and executive director of Anta.

"Having a partnership with star players is vital to promoting a sportswear brand. Anta's goal is to surpass Nike as the No 1 basketball products brand in the Chinese market, and Klay will play an important role in helping us achieve that."