By Heather Grossmann
DNAinfo News Editor
MANHATTAN — C’Mon LeBron!
The mayor put the hard sell on LeBron James Thursday, launching a media campaign to get the superstar basketball player to the New York City Knicks — or the soon-to-be Brooklyn Nets.
“New York City is fit for a king – there’s no better place in the world to live, to play or to win,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement Thursday.
The city’s recruitment effort includes a “C’mon LeBron” website featuring photos, videos and Tweets dedicated to convincing LeBron to make the move to New York City.
In a video posted on the website, Bloomberg ticks off some basketball greats that have played in New York City — though his inclusion of Dr. J, who played at Nassau Coliseum for the New York Nets, is questionable — before pleading, "C'mon LeBron, write the next chapter in NYC basketball history."
Jon, 24, from the East Village, did not think the mayor's appeals to LeBron would be what made up the basketball player's mind.
“How much money they pay LeBron and what other players that can get is what will make a difference,” said Jon, who did not want to give his last name.
“I don’t think he’s coming. He was born there [Cleveland] and he wants to create his legacy there," Jon added.
Tom O’Mara, 29, from Weehawken, disagreed. He thought the mayor's public efforts to woo LeBron would help the city's chances at getting him, and was optimistic about what LeBron's presence on a New York team would do for the city.
"It will be good for ticket sales and will drive the economy,” O’Mara said.
The "C'Mon LeBron" campaign also features a Facebook page, which 1,847 people already "like."
“The ladies here promise to take LeBron for a drink if he comes to NYC :) wink,” one Facebook post reads.
But several Dallas residents hoping to lure LeBron to the Mavericks have already put up several barbed posts disparaging New York City’s recruitment efforts. "Let me hear the LebronToTheMavs fans make some NOISE and show the NYC boys how we do it in BIG D!" one Dallas fan posted.
C’Mon LeBron messages will appear on NYC Taxi monitors and Times Square screens, and the mayor’s office said more promotions will be rolled out in the upcoming weeks.
As usual, the fiscally prudent Bloomberg had money on his mind when it came to the LeBron recruitment campaign — the city’s Economic Development Corporation estimated that every playoff game hosted by a New York City-based team has an economic impact on the city of more than $3.6 million. The EDC estimated that winning Game 7 of an NBA Finals in New York could yield the city as much as $57.8 million.
