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.
