Anta Sports Products Ltd, China's largest maker of athletic shoes, may raise HK$3.17 billion (US$405 million) in a share sale that attracted Houston Rockets' owner Leslie Alexander, two people familiar with the deal said.

The company will sell 600 million new shares at HK$4.28 to HK$5.28 each in Hong Kong, said the people, declining to be named before an official statement. The initial public offering values Anta, which tripled profit last year, at as much as US$1.6 billion.

Alexander will invest HK$234.5 million in the IPO, the people said.

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"We like the market-leading position that Anta has created in the sporting goods field," said Andy Mantel, managing director at Pacific Sun Investment Management Ltd. in Hong Kong, adding that he's interested in buying the stock.

Morgan Stanley is lead underwriter for the IPO.

Anta makes products under its own brand and supplies other makers of sports shoes and clothing. Its sales surged 87 percent last year to 1.25 billion yuan. The family-owned company tripled net income to 147.4 million yuan.

Chinese consumer-goods firms including Belle International Holdings and Intime Department Store (Group) Co have gone public this year, taking advantage of soaring valuations to raise funds ahead of the Olympics. The nation's sportswear market is growing about 23 percent annually, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. estimates.

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