Do not expect to see LeBron James ahead in any Sprite ads.
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar is preparing to add PepsiCo as sponsor for The Coca-Cola Company after nearly two decades, according to Front Office Sports.
It is understood that James will be the face of Mountain Dew’s upcoming ‘Rise Energy’ series, and he will join a group of basketball players who are saving the soda, including Zion Williamson, Joel Embiid, Jamal Murray and A’ja Wilson. Apparently there could also be some integration with the Blaze Pizza chain, a company that is 10 percent owned by James and currently only offers Coke products.
Representatives of PepsiCo and James allegedly declined to comment on the matter.
Coca-Cola has been a LeBron James sponsor since the beginning
If this really is the end of the James relationship with Coca-Cola, it will be the end of a sponsorship that goes back to his new year in 2003.
A then 18-year-old James signed with Coke before playing his first NBA game, becoming a longtime spokesman for the company Sprite and Powerade. He has since been a regular in commercials for both drinks, and even received his own ‘Sprite 6 Mix by LeBron James’ drink in 2014.
A Coca-Cola spokesman told Front Office Sports that James’ agreement with the company expired in September:
“LeBron’s contract came at a time when he and The Coca-Cola Company were actively reviewing all of its resources to ensure it invests in places that ensure long-term growth,” Coca-Cola said. “After many conversations with Lebron and his team, we mutually agreed to separate.”
In addition to Coke, James, according to Forbes, signed with Nike, Bubblicious glue, Juice Batteries and Upper Deck trading cards as rookie.
James’ agreement with Nike, the heaviest hit of the original group, is at least going strong. In 2016, he signed a lifelong agreement with the company.
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