National Basketball Association

LeBron cartoon to teach ... and sell

Published Jan. 20, 2011 12:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

To all of those who have sung the chorus that LeBron James is just a basketball player and therefore should be left unbothered by criticism, commentary or scrutiny, I present to you: The LeBrons.

Less than a year after The Decision, not long after bumping his head coach and complaining he plays too many minutes — and on the heels of using Twitter to tweak his former team after their humiliating 55-point loss — the world's best basketball player now wants . . . to teach your children.

Seriously.

The man who calls himself The King is about to get his Disney on: A 10-part digital series, humbly titled "The LeBrons," will soon be arriving at a YouTube near you.

"I'm just really excited about this show, 'The LeBrons,'" LeBron said in an online video announcing the show. "It goes back to the four characters who I feel like I am on a day-to-day basis. You've got Kid LeBron, you've got athlete LeBron, you've got business LeBron, and then you've got Wise, the mentor of the whole famlly.

"It's an exciting time for me to be able to get this out to not only kids, but to everyone."

This is more than a digital cartoon aimed at — if you believe the news release — teaching lessons about "family, teamwork, friendship, giving back to the community, staying in school, staying out of trouble, and more."

This is also a branding exercise that's meant to reach young consumers in order to sell shoes and other products. This is as much about The King's chance to make money as it is to pass on a message.

Also from the news release: "The characters in the show will feature Nike’s Young Athletes footwear and apparel. HP and Intel will be lead technology sponsors of the series."

That nugget comes before talk about family, friendship and staying in school. Which is good. Because it's honest.

This cartoon is about branding, image, outreach and sales. That's why it's based on an old Nike commercial.

Appeal to the young and you win. Reach children and you'll find access to their parents' wallets.

That's also good. This is America. Sell and sell alike.

But let's just call this what it is: a very public business move by a very public man.

LeBron James is an incredibly talented basketball player and not a bad guy (but certainly at times an immature one), who's still figuring out how to handle and harness his immense fame. This isn't necessarily a bad move in either regard, even if it's true that a man should figure out his own life before he tries to instruct others on theirs.

“The LeBrons” should serve as the clearest reminder yet, particularly to those of you filling my inbox and Twitter account with messages about leaving him alone, that he's more than a basketball player.

LeBron James is a cultural icon. He's a marketing machine. He's a celebrity in the least reluctant sense of the word -- a man embracing fame, selling products, filling his pockets, epitomizing that part of the American Dream.

He's a person who's decided to use his position to teach kids and others about life. He's now a cartoon based on what he believes are four versions of himself: Kid, Athlete, Business and Wise.

That, my friends, opens one up to scrutiny. And who knows, maybe there will be lasting lessons in this for everyone.

Maybe there will be an episode in which Wise LeBron pulls Kid LeBron aside and talks to him about how he's screwing things up for Business LeBron and detracting from all of Athlete LeBron's talents.

If so, I would suggest Real LeBron watch this episode. Several times.