Awesome mashup of Lebron’s recent Nike commercial and an older Michael Jordan commercial.

Interesting perspective if you’re following the Lebron James free agency sweepstakes.  It seems though that Lebron and his camp may be thinking about his personal brand and legacy.

History also says that LeBron, from his years studying uber-successful mentors Warren Buffett and Jay-Z, is big on the word “partnership.” Sources with a pipeline to his inner circle say that James has been schooled to approach his long-awaited foray into free agency as a search for a business partner who can help cement the legacy of the LeBron brand as opposed to a strict hunt for the on-the-court sidekicks who can help him win the multiple championships he needs to get anywhere near Global Icon status.

I still think he should sign for the league minimum salary and win the next 7 championships, but that will (most likely) not happen. That, to me, is the quickest way to cement a legacy. It’s my guess that he ends up in Chicago or Dallas (long shot).

The original reason I went to Iron Chef Michael Symon’s facebook page was to talk about Symon wanting LeBron James to re-sign in Cleveland — going as far as to bribing King James with an Iron Chef style dinner for his family and friends

Here’s an interesting article about building the personal brand of Lebron James. I still go back to the idea of Lebron sacrificing a huge paycheck to win a championship. I think more superstars should take this mindset. Sacrifice some immediate money for the good of the team and your personal brand (should) increases as the team succeeds.

Here’s an idea I absolutely love: Lebron James signing for the league salary minimum. The article touches on his NBA legacy and his personal brand.

So you tell me what’s more valuable to LeBron James Inc. in the long run—three years of max salary (around $50 million) or the cachet that comes from a) winning title after title as the linchpin of a superteam; b) being seen as the first star athlete to say, “It’s not about the money,” then back that up; and c) generating worldwide media buzz, if not the next best seller by Michael Lewis? “I think it’s very smart,” says one Western Conference general manager. “LeBron’s personal brand is worth way, way more than any salary he could draw from a team. It’s myopic to think otherwise.” Then the G.M. laughs. “I’m just hoping he doesn’t agree and do it.”

ESPN goes into detail on whether Lebron James would make it in the NFL.