New LeBron James Sprite ad to air during his NBA debut game

<p>Television viewers will soon hear a cracking sound seemingly from LeBron James neck, but fans of the teenage basketball phenom wont need to worry about a season-ending injury.</p><p>The sound is not James writhing in pain. Its him squeezing an empty Sprite bottle behind his neck in a new commercial that will air Wednesday on ESPN during the NBA rookies first regular season game for the Cleveland Cavaliers.</p><p>In August, James signed a six-year multimillion dollar marketing deal to endorse Sprite and Powerade, both Coca-Cola Co. products.</p><p>In early July, Atlanta-based stopped running Sprite ads featuring Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, who is charged with sexually assaulting a woman in Colorado on June 30. A company spokesman has insisted the Bryant move was not a result of his criminal case and the deal with James _ this years No. 1 NBA draft pick _ was unrelated to Kobe Bryants situation.</p><p>The new 30-second Sprite ad featuring James opens with him lounging with his buddies and watching TV, where a sportscaster is talking about all the hype around his NBA debut.</p><p>James decides to play a joke on his friends _ and the fans watching _ and mentions to everyone in the room that his neck is starting to bother him. As he twists his neck in mock discomfort, a crack is heard. As his friends exchange concerned glances, James reveals the empty Sprite bottle and the source of the noise.</p><p>The 18-year-old Akron, Ohio, basketball star entered the NBA draft out of high school. He has a $13 million contract with the Cavaliers.</p><p>___</p><p>On the Net:</p><p>HASH(0x28654b4)</p>