Athlete Brand Image (ABI) consists of three main dimensions: athletic performance, attractive appearance and marketable lifestyle. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of ABI on fan-player identification. 250 university students completed Scale of Athlete Brand Image (SABI) developed by Arai et al. (2013), and modified Cohen & Perse (2003) Identification Scale. The methodology was descriptive-correlation based on Structural Equation Model (SEM). SEM showed that among ABI dimensions, only marketable lifestyle had a significant path loading on fan-player level of identification. This dimension reflected the personality of an athlete and social perception towards athletes which could be achieved by behaving ethically inside and outside the field, sensitivity to sociocultural issues, being a good role model and a good leader for fans, social responsibility, and showing appreciation for fans/ spectators. Therefore, athletes and their managers are recommended to invest a substantial part of their activities on athletes' marketable lifestyle to enhance fan-player level of identification.