LeBron James is back with another campaign for Sprite, but this time, he’s not going to tell you what to do. “I never tell you to drink Sprite,” says James in his new pitch. “Even if I was in a commercial for Sprite, which I am, I’d ask you.”
In the most subliminal of ads, the new “Wanna Sprite?” spot features James in his kitchen, a cookout, and surrounded by autotuned influencers on an outdoor basketball court, all discussing (“cool, refreshing, lemon-lime”) Sprite without ever telling viewers to buy it. Directed by The Chapelle Show’s Neal Brennan, the ad even features a more comedic James refusing to read a “Drink Spite” cue card as supposed staffers appear befuddled as the cameras put them on blast. It also includes a cameo by hip-hop artist Lil Yachty, who performs a parody of his song “Minnesota” with lyrics “cold like Minnesota” replaced with “cold like Sprite soda.”
“Even if this were a metaphor about Sprite, and I was talking about Sprite, and Lil Yachty here was paid by Sprite to write lyrics about Sprite, I still wouldn’t tell you to drink Sprite,” says James.
According to AdWeek, the “Wanna Sprite?” ads will start running in primetime on major networks later this month, marking the first time Sprite has aired ads in primetime on major networks since late 2015. In 2014, James’ Sprite spots revolved around his return to Cleveland. Last season, James promoted Sprite’s “LeBron’s Mix” drink which included a partnership with Beats by Dre headphones and Nike Basketball who created a special edition version of the LeBron 12s.