(Rose, who plays for the Chicago Bulls, is Adidas's biggest
basketball endorser, but he has been plagued with injuries and missed nearly two full seasons in the last four.)
The image — be it the revolutionary aerial daredevil artist; the articulate best friend of the press; the man in the mink coat and the Mercedes; the national chairman of the Hemophilia Foundation; the coach of the Special Olympics
basketball program; the adviser to The March of Dimes; the spokesman for the Lupus Foundation, American Dental Association and Philadelphia Police Athletic League; the
endorser of the American Red Cross, Population Institute, Pennsylvania Adult Education and dozens of other charities; the ubiquitous television pitchman (Hey, Dr. Chap - Stick!)