LeBron James racks up gold with ad deals

By Theresa Howard

USA TODAY

NEW YORK - NBA Rookie of the Year LeBron James is raking in the gold, despite the struggles of the U.S. Olympic team he's playing on.

As the Cleveland Cavaliers' 6-foot-8-inch forward heads for his second pro season, Nike, Coca-Cola and Bubblicious are ratcheting up deals with new products James helped create. Others, including McDonald's and Sony PlayStation, are wooing him. In the 12 months ended in June, James made $16 million in endorsements, according to the annual Forbes magazine survey. Sports marketing executives say it's the success of the Cavs, not the 1-1 U.S. ``dream team'' in Athens, that marketers are watching.

``The guy can play,'' says David Paro, president of Deep Alliance Marketing. ``Now, people want to see him move the (Cavs) in the right direction.''

Agent Eric Goodwin says he and his colleague and twin, Aaron, are being selective about James' endorsements: ``We're not in a hurry to get in bed with companies until we're able to research that they are the best fit with LeBron.''

One factor is that James wants to be involved in creating products attached to his name, Goodwin says.

As part of his six-year deal with Coca-Cola, James ``sat with chemists and scientists'' to develop Flava23, a red Sourberry flavor for his own Powerade, to be announced today. James says via e-mail that he ``picked a color close to the Cavaliers' road jersey. I chose Sourberry because I like the fruity taste.''

``Most brands would think it's a risk,'' says Mary Herrera, director, sports and energy drinks for Coke in North America. ``It's not about being perfect. It's about challenging convention. LeBron was perfect for this.''A video game deal to be announced within weeks took a year to work out, Goodwin says, and James is to be heavily involved in creating the game.

Other James' off-the-court moves:

- Powerade comic books. James will appear on and in 3 million copies of ``King James'' by DC Comics writers and illustrators. Powerade shows up when James takes on tough street-ball players.

James says he's a comics fan. ``I grew up reading comic books. I want my character to grow into a Batman/Bruce Wayne type, a regular guy who helps people and makes the world a better place.''

- Nike. Ads for Nike's second James basketball shoe - Zoom LeBron II - begin in late October for the $125 shoe out in early November. Nike also plans to add to its James performance and casual apparel.

- Bubblicious gum. The Cadbury Adams-owned brand signed James to a five-year deal in July. He is in a bubble-blowing TV ad and as early as year's end will have his own flavor: Lightning Lemonade.

Paro says few players have the recognition needed for deals like these. ``There's only a few of those types of names. LeBron may not quite be there yet. He's not (Michael) Jordan. But he's pretty darn close.''