Nielsen Poll: LeBron James No Longer a Marketing Superstar

Not so long ago, LeBron James could sell anything from Vitamin Water to Nike sneakers simply by treading water in a swimming pool.Now, the Miami Heat star's popularity has declined so drastically that he's no longer one of the top ten most marketable players in the NBA, according to the...

By Lisa Rab

August 1, 2011

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Not so long ago, LeBron James could sell anything from Vitamin Water to Nike sneakers simply by treading water in a swimming pool.

Now, the Miami Heat star's popularity has declined so drastically that he's no longer one of the top ten most marketable players in the NBA, according to the latest Nielsen/E-Poll.

The online poll -- a partnership between E-Poll Market Research and Nielsen, the firm best-known for rating television shows' popularity -- surveyed 1,100 people age 13 and up. Researchers then assigned an "N-score" to every player, a number that measures "name and image awareness, appeal and personality attributes such as sincerity, approachability, experience and influence."

King James' score dropped more than 100 points, from 131 to 26, in recent months. His Heat colleague, Dwyane Wade, saw his score plummet from 117 to 34. Neither of them made the top ten list. But guess who won first place as the most marketable player in the league? Dirk Nowitzki, the Dallas Mavericks star who helped snatch the NBA finals win from the Heat this June.

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