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Endorsement deals mount for LeBron

Detroit Pistons Ben Wallace, center, blocks a shot by Philadelphia 76ers Eric Snow, second from left, during the first period of their game at the Centre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Monday. PHOTO: EPA

LeBron James has snapped up another big endorsement deal, this time for bubble gum.

Like his idol, Michael Jordan, the 19-year-old James chews gum during games and occasionally blows a bubble or two -- making him a natural fit for London-based Cadbury Schweppes PLC.

"He appeals to a large audience and he loves the brand," marketing director Sydney Taylor said Monday. "He's been chewing our gum for quite a while."

James will appear in television and print advertisements for the gum, the first time a pro athlete has endorsed the product, Taylor said. Cadbury is exploring having James promote other products, she said.

James' agent, Aaron Goodwin, said Bubblicious will have a LeBron James-inspired flavor.

"I'm still a kid," James said. "I'm 19 and I'm not getting any younger. I want to make kids happy."

Goodwin had been in negotiations for three months on the deal and said he's talking with four or five companies, including McDonald's and Kraft, about future projects.

James has been racking up big-money endorsement contracts with sponsors since May, when he signed a seven-year, US$90 million deal with Nike -- the richest initial shoe contract ever offered an athlete.

He has deals with Coca Cola/Sprite (US$16 million), Juice Batteries (US$8 million) and Upper Deck (US$5 million). He also signed a guaranteed three-year, US$13 million deal with the Cavaliers in July.

Cavaliers 104, Hornets 100

Jason Kapono looked down at the nasty, jagged scratch on his chest that was inflicted by an opponent's finger nail and worried he might be in trouble.

"I guess I'm going to have to explain that one to my fiancee," Cleveland's rookie quipped.

Kapono and the Cleveland Cavaliers did some clawing back of their own Monday night, rallying from 25 points down in the first half for a 104-100 win over New Orleans.

In a season that has been one long comeback for the Cavaliers, this was a win worth savoring.

"This is sweet," guard Jeff McInnis said. "I've never come back from so far down before. I've been on the other end. This is a lot more fun."

Cleveland's improbable win completed a four-day stretch in which the Cavs beat the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs, turned Madison Square Garden fans on the Knicks and stunned the Hornets.

Suddenly, there seems to be nothing these Cavs can't do.

"We're coming together as a family," LeBron James said.

James scored 21 points and Kapono added a season-high 19 for Cleveland, which trailed 49-24 midway through the second period before storming back.

Carlos Boozer had 24 points, and McInnis added 14 and nine assists for the Cavs, who started the season 6-19 and endured turmoil and two major trades but are within 1 games of a playoff spot.

"The chemistry is really great," first-year coach Paul Silas said. "We're finding combinations. We're finding ways to win. We're learning how to fight through adversity. This was sweet."

And historic? Not sure.

Neither the Cavs nor the Elias Sports Bureau -- the NBA's official keeper of records big and small -- could determine if it was Cleveland's largest comeback.

But there's no need to look up if it was one of the Cavs' most improbable.

"When we were behind by 25, no one in their right mind thought we would come back," said Kapono, who didn't play in Sunday's win at New York.

Only once before had the Hornets blown a 25-point lead. They also did it on March 1, 1996, at Minnesota.

The Cavaliers were twice down by 25 in the second quarter. But by halftime, they were within 14. At the end of the third, they had closed to four and they took their first lead at 83-82 on McInnis' short jumper with 7:42 to play.

But as has been the case with most of their games this season, this one went to the final horn as Baron Davis hit a 3-pointer with 6.1 seconds left to get the Hornets to 102-100.

However, Boozer made two free throws with 5.1 seconds left, and with the lead seemingly safe, Silas raised his right fist in the air to celebrate a win over the team that fired him after last season.

Davis led the Hornets with 34 points and Jamal Mashburn had 23, but after a strong start, the two stars struggled from the field. They opened a combined 13-for-13 from the floor but went 7-for-32 the rest of the way.

"They just kept on playing," Mashburn said. "They kept attacking and we didn't. That's the bottom line."

Kapono sparked the Cavs' comeback, draining all his 3s and adding five rebounds and three steals in 28 minutes. The second-round draft pick from UCLA had played just 19 minutes in his previous five games.

"I'm not the most talented guy in here," he said looking around the Cavs' locker room. "I'm probably the 14th most talented guy on the roster, but I can play a little.''

Elias said it was the first time in Cavs history they won after trailing by 21 at the end of the first quarter. They had been 0-9 in such games.

The Detroit Pistons were fined US$200,000 by the NBA on Monday for using Rasheed Wallace and Mike James before the league finalized the deal that brought them to the team.

The league said it was the first time a player acquired in a trade played for his new team before the NBA officially approved the move.

Wallace and James came to Detroit in a three-team trade with Atlanta and Boston on Thursday, and both played in the first half of the Pistons' 88-87 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.

They were pulled at halftime when it was discovered that paperwork for two other players in the deal -- Lindsey Hunter and Chris Mills -- had yet to be completed. Wallace and James also missed a practice Saturday before the NBA said the trade was "final."

"In accordance with league rules, each team was informed that none of the traded players could play with their new teams until all conditions of the trade had been met, including the signing of certifications by teams, players and agents involved in the deal," the NBA said in a statement. "The Pistons violated this rule by playing Wallace and James in the first half of the game against the Timberwolves even though the required certifications were not yet signed."

IN BAD TASTE

The Cleveland Cavaliers were fined US$5,000 by the NBA on Monday for a skit in which their mascot poked fun at Celtics guard Ricky Davis.

During a timeout in the second quarter of a Feb. 9 game against Boston, Moondog, Cleveland's floppy-eared mascot, mopped the floor with a No. 31 Cavs jersey -- Davis' number while he was with Cleveland.

"We accept responsibility and will pay the fine and move on,'' team spokesman Tad Carper said.

Earlier this season, the Utah Jazz were fined US$15,000 by the league for a skit that ridiculed Los Angeles forward Karl Malone and teammate Kobe Bryant.
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