LeBron James’ Decision to Be Televised Thursday Night

by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

LeBron became the king of all media yesterday, as he launched a new website, signed up for Twitter, and concluded matters by getting into the TV business.

James will reportedly announce his highly anticipated free agent destination tomorrow night at 9PM ET, during a television special on ESPN. For some reason, this will take an hour.

ESPN, um, reports (through independent sources, but with confirmation from ESPN. Or something):

ESPN would only confirm that active discussions for the special are ongoing. But sources tell Broussard that representatives for James contacted the network, proposing that James makes his announcement during a 9 p.m. ET special.

Those sources said that James’ representatives requested they be allowed to sell sponsorship for the one-hour special, with the proceeds going to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and that ESPN agreed to the proposal but had not been told what James has decided.

James’ plans still are a closely guarded secret. He visited with six teams — the New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls — last week at his business offices in downtown Cleveland and may have made up his mind already. But until he gives word, other teams are positioning themselves to make a run at the 6-foot-8, 260-pound All-Star — or Bosh or Wade, or maybe a combination.

Now, I’m not sure how James and ESPN are going to fill an entire hour’s worth of television programming time to announce LeBron’s decision, but they will undoubtedly come up with something that everyone will find a way to hate.

So, good times ahead!