--- description: Miami Heat star LeBron James is partnering with Sprite to introduce 'Sprite 6 Mix,' a specially branded cherry- and orange-flavored version of the popular lemon-and-lime soft drink. The new beverage hits store shelves nationwide for a limited time this month title: LeBron James Gets His Own Soda image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6e0918c3c8f228ec/698686363bc999ab171a26d0/time-s-lebron-james-140319.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [coca-cola](/tag/coca-cola/) ## coca-cola Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # LeBron James Gets His Own Soda by [Victor Luckerson](/author/victor-luckerson/) ## Victor Luckerson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 19, 2014 9:32 PM CUT  Miami Heat forward LeBron James smiles after a 100-96 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena, Mar 18, 2014. Miami Heat forward LeBron James smiles after a 100-96 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena, Mar 18, 2014.David Richard—USA Today Sports/Reuters by [Victor Luckerson](/author/victor-luckerson/) ## Victor Luckerson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 19, 2014 9:32 PM CUT 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](http://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2014/02/17/the-nbas-endorsement-all-stars-2014/ "undefined"). 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 ](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yfRHoRhRTk "undefined")for Powerade, [trying a court case](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHOnq07aNls "undefined") for Vitaminwater and challenging Yao Ming to a [battle of cultural stereotypes](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWuRtoA8gwg "undefined") 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](http://www.amazon.com/Pimpjuice-Premium-Strength-Formula-8-Ounce/dp/B000EGK0IC/ref=cm%5Fcr%5Fpr%5Fproduct%5Ftop "undefined") remains to be seen. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/30953/lebron-james-soda-sprite-6-mix/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/30953/lebron-james-soda-sprite-6-mix/"},"headline":"LeBron James Gets His Own Soda","datePublished":"2014-03-19T21:32:58.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T06:51:34.057Z","description":"Miami Heat star LeBron James is partnering with Sprite to introduce 'Sprite 6 Mix,' a specially branded cherry- and orange-flavored version of the popular lemon-and-lime soft drink. 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