Thinking like a champion

How will LeBron James decide whether to join the U.S. Olympic basketball team in 2008? Will it be a matter of patriotism? The champion’s desire for the gold medal? The raw need to compete at the highest level, with the best of the best?

Possibly. Or maybe it will just be a matter of what’s best for the brand called LeBron. ESPN notes:

Jeopardizing his spot on the Beijing roster would be a huge risk for James, who has been studying Mandarin as he seeks to become even more of a marketing and pop icon in China. There’s are financial implications, too, for James, who would lose more than $250,000 in endorsement bonuses from Nike, Coca-Cola and Upper Deck if he failed to make the 2008 Beijing roster.

Studying Mandarin! Not even Jordan did that.