Some New York businesses are waiting for LeBron James to show THEM the money.
Gotham establishments lucky enough to share a name with basketball’s most-lusted-after free agent hope King James will sign with a New York team — and give them a huge advantage in luring customers.
“Everyone who has that name, one way or another, they’ll benefit,” said Roger M. Lebron, who owns Lebron Auto Body in Ridgewood, Queens.
The Big Apple has spent months wooing LeBron James, who hit the market Thursday as a free agent. The Knicks and Nets are dangling multimillion-dollar offers and Mayor Bloomberg and city celebs are part of the “C’mon LeBron” campaign.
Meanwhile, on the sidelines, a lesser-known salesman named Omar Lebron is stamping his now red-hot name on every product he can.
“People can own a Lebron in the kitchen. We have soaps with the Lebron label, so they might sell even more now,” said Omar, manager of the Lebron Restaurant Equipment warehouse in Inwood. “It’s funny, because Lebron is our family name; we’ve been here 20 years.”
The family also runs a Lebron store in The Bronx and plans to make and market Lebron T-shirts.
“We’ve gotten people who pass by and see our truck and ask, Does LeBron own this business?” said Omar, 26. “We’ll benefit if he comes here.”
Car mechanic Roger Lebron in Queens wants to score the superstar himself as a client.
“Maybe he’ll come down to check us out — ‘Oh, they got my name on their business!’ ” said Roger, 45, adding that he’d take good care of James’ Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Hummer or Rolls-Royce.
Roger said the hype would help him expand upon his modest, four-car garage.
“Every business in the beginning struggles. I’m not saying I’m doing wonderful,” he said. “I hope [signing James] does boost my business.”
Roger Lebron loves basketball just as James does, but the similarities stop there.
The Queens Lebron drives a Dodge Caravan minivan and his shop makes about $7,000 per week. Super-athlete LeBron owns a fleet of fancy rides and is worth $43 million.
“I was born broke. I grew up poor. Now, I got my business and I’m trying to make it,” Roger said. “He’s the King.”
It seems not every Lebron business in New York is jonesing for the publicity, however.
When asked about James, a woman at Lebron Real Estate in Borough Park, Brooklyn, said, “Who?” and hung up.