LeBron James Will Announce Signing Decision Live on One-Hour ESPN Program

LeBron James will disclose which team he plans to play for tomorrow night during a live telecast on ESPN.

James, the National Basketball Association’s reigning two- time Most Valuable Player, will make the announcement at 9 p.m. New York time on the Walt Disney Co. network, his manager, Maverick Carter, said on James’s website.

“Due to the unprecedented attention and interest surrounding LeBron’s decision, we have decided to make this announcement on national television,” the website said. “By doing so we have generated funds that will be given to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.”

James will make the announcement during an interview with freelance reporter Jim Gray, while the network’s Michael Wilbon also will have an extensive interview with James, ESPN said.

The program, called “The Decision,” will be co-presented by the University of Phoenix Inc. and Microsoft Inc.’s Bing website, while Coca-Cola Co.’s Glaceau Vitaminwater and McDonald’s Corp. also will sponsor the event, ESPN said in a news release. James’s marketing company, LRMR Marketing, secured the sponsorships for the program.

“We were thrilled to hear from LeBron’s organization over this past weekend with this most generous gesture,” Roxanne Spillett, chief executive officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, said in a statement. “Taking time out of what I am sure is a most difficult decision, and creating an opportunity for our clubs and members to benefit, is just tremendous.”

James had meetings with six teams, including the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he spent his first seven years in the NBA. He also held discussions with the New York Knicks, the New Jersey Nets, the Miami Heat, the Los Angeles Clippers and the Chicago Bulls.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mason Levinson in New York at mlevinson@bloomberg.net.

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