Menu
Marketing and Sponsorship

Dribble Drive: LeBron James Signs On To Endorse Kia Motors In Multiyear Deal

Cavaliers F LeBron James has signed a deal with Kia Motors to "be the ambassador of its new luxury sedan, the K900," according to Darren Rovell of ESPN.com. LRMR Management Founder Maverick Carter, James' agent, said that James this summer "asked if he could get the new $66,000 car to drive around." Rovell noted Kia, which is "entering its eighth year as the official vehicle of the NBA, happily obliged." Kia Marketing Dir Tim Chaney said, "We were not actively seeking another endorser, but LeBron told us, after driving the car around this summer, that he liked it so much, that we decided to partner with him. He brought us instant credibility." Rovell noted terms of the "multiyear, multimillion-dollar deal were not disclosed, but the company will use James in television ads that have already been shot." A source said that the deal also "requires James to show up at Cavaliers games in the car." The deal does "not, however, require James to drive only the K900." Carter said that James "used his influence to get one of his other sponsors to use the K900 in a commercial." James and "Mr. Monopoly" roll into Cleveland "while sitting in the backseat of the car in a McDonald's spot." Rovell noted through September, Kia had "sold only 1,106 K900s in the U.S." As of now, the K900 "represents 0.2 percent of brand sales in the U.S." Chaney: "This is not about just selling a few luxury sedans. We are looking to LeBron to help boost our brand profile." James has "never had a car deal." Other Kia endorsers include Clippers F Blake Grffin, golfer Michelle Wie and tennis player Rafael Nadal, while the brand "also sponsors" tennis' U.S. and Australian Opens and the FIFA World Cup (ESPN.com, 10/15). See the full endorsement portfolio for LeBron James at Resource Guide LIVE.

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2014/10/16/Marketing-and-Sponsorship/LeBron-Kia.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2014/10/16/Marketing-and-Sponsorship/LeBron-Kia.aspx

CLOSE