NBA Rumors: LeBron James Should Thank League for New Endorsement Deal

There is a chance that LeBron James won't be allowed to throw his famous chalk cloud into the air before he takes the court anymore.

The NBA just announced its third new marketing deal of the week, and they have a product that replaces chalk. Joining Sprint and Under Armour will be Mission Athletecare.

Barry Janoff of BigLeadSports gives a quick rundown of their products:

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Among Mission Athletecare’s products are Court Grip, which is applied to the bottom of basketball shoes to reduce slipping and increase traction; and Power Grip, which is applied to the hands to reduce sweat and enhance a player’s grip on the ball. 

Power Grip—which comes with the tag line, “Liquid chalk technology”—takes the place of, but is not eliminating, the white talcum powder or chalk that players use before entering a game.

Both Power Grip and Court Grip had previously been approved for use by the NBA and the NBA Trainers Assn.

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As Janoff says, the new Power Grip doesn't completely eliminate chalk, but the new alliance could choose to outlaw it from use at some point.

The Miami Heat star has been tossing chalk into the air since the beginning of his career. His cloud of chalk is synonymous with the start of the game in any arena.

James candidly sat down with ESPN's Rachel Nichols earlier this month and said that he no longer wants to embrace the NBA's villain role. It is not who he is, it is not what he does and it is not who he wants to be on the basketball court.

But if he truly wants to abandon the villainous role he whole-heartedly embraced a year ago, he needs to change his ways.

Becoming a "good guy" once more isn't going to be easy, and abandoning the jackass chalk toss is a good place to start.

Call it a symbolic turning of the page, if you will.

The only way he is going to change his public perception is by changing what he does. The NBA has given him an easy opportunity to start immediately.

We're five days away from tipoff—LeBron has plenty of time to consider a new routine for entering the game.

Heck, he could just walk onto the court just like every other player.

But if he needs justification, his friend Carmelo Anthony is even endorsing the product. He could easily say Carmelo sold him on the "liquid chalk technology."

It's certainly no secret that LeBron has been persuaded to do things by other people before. He wouldn't have to sell us very hard.

If the NBA's want-away villain wants to take a step out of the darkness and back into the light, he's got a great opportunity right in front of him.