LeBron James Vs. Dwyane Wade Commercials: Whose Are Better?

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade might be superstar teammates, but they're also both incredibly valuable commodities in the marketplace. Not only that—they're rivals.

LeBron has signed contracts with Nike and Vitamin Water, while Wade has chosen Converse, Gatorade and T-Mobile. 

Who's the better pitchman? Whose commercials are funnier, more poignant, more successful?

We're breaking down their similar commercials (Gatorade vs. Vitamin Water, Nike vs. Converse, T-Mobile vs. Nike) to see who the better pitchman in the NBA is. Because LeBron doesn't have as many endorsement deals, we're pitting some of LeBron's Nike ads against Wade's T-Mobile commercials. We're also going to use one of Dwyane's NBA on ESPN videos because LeBron has more Sportscenter spots than Dwyane.

We're going best of seven, here—like the NBA Finals but with commercials. 

Let's get started. 

Battle 1: Sportscenter Ad 1, James

This was LeBron's first SC spot. It's classic ESPN commercial humor, as James pokes fun at himself and the hype as "The Chosen One." It's spot on, but we don't get much from James in it. 

Grade: B. Solid but not a legendary piece. 

Battle 1: Sportscenter Ad 1, Wade

This one, by comparison, is a classic. Wade does a fantastic job sounding indignant, and the piece goes over fantastically. It's one of the SC commercials everyone remembers. 

Grade: B+. Good work, solid acting by Wade and a truly funny concept. 

Wade Leads 1-0. 

Battle 2: Sportscenter Ad 2, James

LeBron rallies nicely in his second SC clip, deadpanning well as Scott van Pelt steals his chair. It's a classic commercial, really, and it helps give James a strong position heading into the second round of this contest. 

Grade: A-. Great Sportscenter piece, and one that they continued to use right up until he left Cleveland. 

Battle 2: NBA on ESPN Ad, Wade

This is a good spot from Wade, although he's trying a little too hard in it. "Stu, is that a clip-on?!" Deep down, we all want to believe this one is true. 

Grade: B-. A solid effort from Dwyane there, but he can't compete with LeBron's second SC ad. 

Tied 1-1. 

Battle 3: Shoe Ad 1, James

This is the first of our serious ads. It's LeBron's newest one, and it's pretty fantastic. James goes after everyone who's been talking badly about him this summer, saying "What should I do?"

That being said, you only see the product for a split second which can be bad news in the ad world. 

Grade: B. James gives a good performance, and he and Nike deliver a solid effort. 

Battle 3: Shoe Ad 1, Wade

This was part of a series of ads shot by Spike Lee for Wade. They're an attempt to show Wade's passion for the game and his love of all things family and basketball. 

Frankly, I feel like they're trying to do too much in a commercial to sell shoes. 

Grade: B-. Converse has yet to keep up with Nike in the ad wars, and Wade's the victim here.

Score: James Leads 2-1. 

Battle 4: Sports Drink, James

This is a fantastic ad. Like most Vitamin Water spots, it doesn't focus on the sport the athlete plays. Instead, the claim is that Vitamin Water motivated James to take up defense law. He's funny in it, the commercial is well written and it's definitely a hit. 

Grade: A. Funny, clever and to the point. An excellent ad. Wade's got a lot to live up to. 

Battle 4: Sports Drink, Wade

This one is kind of strange. We've got old school Dwyane in the glasses and new-school Dwyane with the headband. For whatever reason, OS Wade sort of sounds like Mickey Mouse. The title of the video says it's hilarious, but I guess I don't get the joke. It's still a solid ad, just an odd choice. 

Grade: B. Solid, but it loses points for missing on a lot of the humor. 

Score: James leads 3-1. 

Battle 5: Sponsorship Ad 1, James

This one is fantastic. It features puppets who represent both Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Puppet Kobe is looking for his rings, and puppet LeBron wants none of it. This one is the best ad featuring the puppets; it's funny and doesn't drag on forever like some of them do. 

Grade: A-. An excellent piece—before the puppets started playing against Santa, or whatever it was. 

Battle 5: Sponsorship Ad, Wade

This is an epic spot, combining three of the best pitchmen the NBA has ever had. Something about Yao chanting "Eat the head!" just gets to me. Priceless.

Grade: A+. Wade delivers the goods there. 

Score: James leads 3-2. 

Battle 6: Sponsorship Ad, LeBron

Another good one, simply because the kid puppet reminds me of every little kid I've ever been around. It's ridiculously annoying, but in a good way.

Grade: B+. Not as good as the rings but still pretty excellent. 

Battle 6: Sponsorship Ad, Wade

Wade brings it in this one, selling the "Pookie" bit perfectly. It's hilarious and works perfectly. 

Grade: A. Wade delivers in the crunch once again.

Score: Series tied 3-3. 

Battle 7: Sponsorship Ad, LeBron

A high-risk, high-reward ad that pays off well for LeBron here. It's the different parts of his personality going head-to-head. What saves an otherwise lackluster ad is Wise, the old man with the tiny shorts and gray hair who talks the entire game. James delivers a great ad in this one and goes out with a bang in the final round. 

Grade: A. Excellent spot, thanks to old man Wise. 

Battle 7: T-Mobile Ad, Wade

I get the feeling Chuck wasn't in on the joke on this one. This is the best of all the T-Mobile ads, and even Wise can't keep up with this one. 

Grade: A+. Marketing gold: sells the product, is easily remembered and is one of the funniest commercials I've seen in a while.

Score: Wade wins, 4-3. 

Conclusion

Marc Serota/Getty Images

MIAMI - SEPTEMBER 27: Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat pose for photos during media day at the Bank United Center on September 27, 2010 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images)

While it's still up for debate who the best player in the NBA is, we've just shown you who the best pitchman is: Dwyane Wade.

He's funny, relatable and markets products well. All in all, he's the perfect NBA spokesman.