LEBRON SELLS ADS FOR HIS ANNOUNCEMENT

In what is likely an unprecedented set-up for the broadcast of a news event, ESPN said Tuesday that its exclusive coverage of LeBron James’s announcment of his NBA plans will be sponsored. The Disney-owned channel disclosed that it had been contacted by James’s representatives who asked if they could sell ads during a one-hour special, with profits fro the ads earmarked for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. The special is scheduled to air at 9:00 p.m. on Thursday. James, probably the most in-demand free agent in recent NBA history, has reportedly had talks about remaining with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but is also being courted by the Chicago Bulls, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Miami Heat, the New Jersey Nets, and the New York Knicks.