LeBron James already has a best-selling sneaker line and a cartoon series on YouTube. Soon, he’ll have his own beverage, too.
The NBA All-Star is partnering with Sprite to release Sprite 6 Mix, a cherry and orange-flavored version of the lemon-lime soda. The drink will be available for a limited time nationally starting this month. Sprite 6 Mix will feature a crown on its label — a reference to the basketball player’s nickname, “King James” — and will be the company’s first soda developed in tandem with a celebrity.
James earned $42 million in endorsement deals in 2013, leading all NBA players, according to Forbes. He’s been a pitchman for the Coca-Cola Company, which owns Sprite, since he first entered the NBA in 2003. 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. Whether James’ new soda will reach the cultural ubiquity of rap star Nelly’s energy drink Pimp Juice remains to be seen.
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