After two years of mind-boggling hyperbole and near-endless speculation, NBA superstar Lebron James is set to announce which team he will be signing with.
James will end the speculation sometime after 9 p.m. Thursday in an unprecedented one-hour special on ESPN, according to reports.
At 25, James has played seven years with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA, without winning a championship.
But he's undeniably the NBA's best player, winning the league's most valuable player award in the past two seasons.
"(James) is probably the biggest free agent in the history of sport," Howard Bloom of Sportbusiness.com told CTV News Channel. "Basketball is a team sport, but basketball is a sport where one player can make all the difference.
"One guy is what you build your basketball team around."
James has said that winning championships is his main goal, something he couldn't do in Cleveland. But he's also stated he wanted to be a billionaire athlete, which has some speculating he could go to the New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets or the Chicago Bulls because of the marketing possibilities.
"Lebron James has always been about the business of Lebron James and how to maximize his marketing potential," Bloom said.
But James is born and raised in Ohio, and has expressed loyalty to his state. Cleveland fans have been adamant that James' departure would be devastating in a way not seen in North American sport since Wayne Gretzky left the Edmonton Oilers in the 1980s.
While the entire NBA free agent market is revolving around James' decision, some news out of Florida could affect where he goes.
Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh is expected to join fellow free agent superstar Dwayne Wade in Miami, according to reports.
Miami has enough cap size to sign James as well, giving the team a trio of talent that would be unmatched in the league.
If James signs an extension with Cleveland, he could sign a six-year US$125 million contract, but other teams can only offer him a maximum of US$96.1 million over five years.
James has reportedly asked ESPN to donate the proceeds from his hour-long special to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.
"(James) is maximizing the marketing potential of his free-agent announcement, the audacity of it. . . is incredible but from a business perspective, boy, oh, boy," Bloom said.
