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Don’t expect to see LeBron James in Sprite’s commercials in the future.
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar is preparing to add PepsiCo as a sponsor after nearly two decades as a pitchman for The Coca-Cola Company, according to Front Office Sports.
James would become the face of Mountain Dew’s upcoming “Rise Energy” line, joining a group of soda-launching basketballers that include Zion Williamson, Joel Embiid, Jamal Murray and A’ja Wilson. There could also be some integration with the Blaze Pizza chain, a company 10% owned by James that currently only offers coke products.
Representatives for PepsiCo and James have reportedly declined to comment on the matter.
Coca-Cola has sponsored LeBron James from the start
If this is truly the end of James’ relationship with Coca-Cola, it will mark the end of a sponsorship that dates back to his rookie year in 2003.
James, then 18, signed with Coke before playing his first NBA game, becoming a longtime spokesperson for the company’s Sprite and Powerade brands. He’s been a regular in the commercials for both drinks ever since and even got his own “Sprite 6 Mix by LeBron James” drink in 2014.
A Coca-Cola spokesperson 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 was investing in places that provided long-term growth,” Coca-Cola said. “After many discussions with Lebron and his team, we mutually agreed to go our separate ways.
In addition to Coke, James signed with Nike, Bubblicious gum, Juice Batteries and Upper Deck as a rookie, according to Forbes.
James’ contract with Nike, the original group’s heaviest hitter, is at least going well. He signed a lifetime contract with the company in 2016.
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