LeBron James Rubs the Right Elbows

James to attend "summer camp for billionaires"

By JOSH ALPER

Updated 6:06 PM EDT, Tue, Jul 7, 2009

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The prevailing wisdom behind the idea that LeBron James might bolt from the Cavaliers to play for the Knicks in 2010 is New York's place as the center of international business. The theory holds that by playing in New York, James would have access to the kinds of movers and shakers that would vault him from sports star to global phenomenon.

That balloon may have very little air left in it by the end of the summer. King James is going to be holding court at a retreat hosted by the investment bank Allen & Co. this week in Sun Valley, a retreat that may do more to increase his profile (and portfolio) than anything New York can offer. The retreat has been called "summer camp for billionaires," and James will be hobnobbing with the likes of Sergey Brin, Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and Rupert Murdoch.

n between rafting, knitting, yoga, chess and bridge (Buffett and Gates are big bridge players), big deals are known to have been hatched during the conference's 26-year history. The most famous marriage with roots in Sun Valley was Walt Disney Co.'s deal to buy Capital Cities/ABC Inc. in 1995, which came out of a random meeting in the parking lot of then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner, CapCities board member Buffett and the company's CEO, Tom Murphy.

Even before James was invited to bring his sleeping bag to the uberclass bonfire, the notion that New York could make him bigger than Cleveland seemed like an idea dreamed up by desperate Knicks fans. James has already conquered the United States, thanks to a plethora of endorsements in the United States and regular appearances in nationally televised games.

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The global part of the equation will come thanks to those sponsors, too, but the addition of Chinese investors to the Cavs' ownership team doesn't hurt. The name on the front of the jersey matters a lot less than the name on the back of the jersey. James is already a name that opens doors anywhere, even if Cleveland has less going on than the Big Apple.

Now he just needs that ring to truly be the man who has everything.

Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com.