8 July 2010 - 19:42Media Blitz Ensues, Lebron Goes to Miami

The 2010 NBA Free Agent class has been anticipated for a long time. It’s unusual in any sport for eyes to be on a free agency more than a year in the future, but the list of names available this summer was so prestigious, it can easily be considered the most anticipated free agency class EVER.

Amidst the abundance of top-quality names, there was the “Big Three”; LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. So much so that the headlining trio had a summit, to be in cahoots with one another about where they might end up.

At the pinnacle of all of this stands the most-talked about free agent of all time: LeBron James.

Seven years into his NBA career, he is already in the conversation of “best player today” and it is highly likely that when he is done he will be considered among the list of greatest basketball players of all time. Someone of this magnitude being courted by many different teams, different cities, is likely to attract a lot of attention, and in some unorthodox ways.

With his decision being broadcast on an ESPN special conveniently titled, “The Decision,” King James has done something unlike ever before. He’s calling all the shots, even so far as media coverage. He’s handpicked who will interview him, and has mandated that all of his sponsors take up the ad time, with proceeds going to the Boys and Girls Club of America.

Celebrities, agencies, mom and pop stores, and people on the streets with too much time on their hands have all played their part in doing what they can to sway LBJ’s decision. The media coverage has been, for lack of a more sophisticated word, redunkulous. Throughout the season, sports journalists, delivery guys, political pundits, everyone has been speculating where LeBron will end up.

When he launched his very own twitter account, @KingJames, it quickly garnered a massive following, yet – as expected – no news or hints as to where he was going to go.

It’s hard to comprehend just how much it could do to the city that acquires LeBron James. For example, Madison Square Garden shares rose nearly 6.5% yesterday, based on the number of people that are betting he goes to New York to don a Knicks jersey.

Even before LeBron puts on the Heat jersey or steps foot on the hardwood floor at American Airlines Arena for game #1 of the 2010-2011 NBA season, he will have drastically changed the landscape of not only the Heat, but Miami, as well. This is where he will be calling home for [at least] the next 5-6 years. And in ways that we really can’t even calculate, so it’s unnecessary to try to pinpoint the monetary, cultural and social impact that will come along with the acquisition of King James.

image courtesy of bleacherreport.com