NBA?legend and Bobcats owner Michael Jordan filed a lawsuit in China against a Chinese sportswear company, accusing the firm of unauthorized use of his name.

The Basketball Hall of Famer announced on Wednesday that he's suing Qiao Dan Sports, a company located in the southern Fujian Province, alleging that the company's name is a "well known" translation of Jordan's name.

"A Chinese sports company has chosen to build a Chinese business off of my Chinese name without my permission," Jordan explained in a video message on his website.

"It pains me to see someone misrepresent my identity. I have no other choice but to turn to the courts."

Jordan is known as Qiaodan in China, which moniker was registered by Qiaodan Sports. According to the website, the sportswear and shoe manufacturer generated more than US $450 million in revenue in 2010 alone

A Qiaodan Sports spokesman said he had not received details of the case from the company's legal department, and could not comment on it.