Sprite Teams Up With LeBron James To Create New "Sprite 6 Mix" Beverage

Coca-Cola's Sprite brand yesterday announced the launch of "Sprite 6 Mix," a new flavor of the beverage created in collaboration with Heat F LeBron James. The new beverage will feature cherry and orange flavors added to traditional Sprite. It will be available at retail throughout the U.S. this month for a limited time in 20-ounce bottles and 19.2-ounce cans. The packaging features a custom "6" with a crown design integrated to represent the "King James" nickname (Coca-Cola). TIME.com's Victor Luckerson noted the drink "will be the company's first soda developed in tandem with a celebrity." James has "been a pitchman" for Coca-Cola since he first entered the NBA in '03. James "has helped the company advertise several of its brands in that time -- making improbable full-court three-pointers for Powerade, trying a court case for Vitaminwater and challenging Yao Ming to a battle of cultural stereotypes for Coca-Cola itself." Sprite 6 Mix "will get a 15-second TV spot all its own this spring" (TIME.com, 3/19).