NBA players are a valuable marketing resource with consumer reach as far as a full-court shot. That’s why when LeBron James approached Kia for with the idea of an endorsing deal, Kia->ke41 took notice. The end result is a deal between the two, or more specifically, James and the Kia K900.->ke4748

Apparently James had the chance to drive around all summer in the K900 and ended up loving the car. ESPN reports James posted a picture of the car on Instagram with captions reading, “Rolling in my K900. Love this car!!”

Tim Chaney, Kia’s vice president of marketing told ESPN.com, “We were not actively seeking another endorser, but LeBron told us, after driving the car around this summer, that he like it so much, that we decided to partner with him. He brought us instant credibility."

James said in a statement regarding the collaboration, “For me, a partnership has to be authentic and real to who I am and that's what makes this one so special."

While the details of the multiyear, multimillion-dollar deal have not been disclosed, sources say James must show up at Cavaliers games in the K900 and will appear in several TV commercials. Thankfully for LeBron, the deal does not restrict him from driving other vehicles in his 20-car fleet, which includes the likes of Lamborghini,->ke44 Ferrari,->ke252 Porsche,->ke1 Maybach,->ke52 and Rolls Royce.->ke74

While Kia isn’t expecting the deal to create clamoring crowd of K900 buyers, the Korean automaker does expect the endorsement deal to have a positive impact on the brand’s public perception as a viable luxury->ke505 automaker.

Click past the jump to read more about the Kia K900.

Why it matters

The addition to a big-name star such as LeBron James makes corporate marketers weak in the knees. His social prominence and opinion are highly valuable and worth the time and money invested. If James’ love of cars really does extend to the Kia K900, he should have no trouble fulfilling his contractual duties set forth by the endorsement deal. I’m sure we can expect to see the LeBron/K900 TV ads rolling in starting this basketball season.

Kia K900

The Kia K900 is the automaker’s top-shelf item built with the right stuff to compete against Germany’s finest. Its high-class interior is far and above better than anything the company has ever produced, and the same can be said for the exterior.

The K900 shares its platform and drivetrain with its corporate twin, the Hyundai Equus. Power comes from the 5.0-liter Tau V-8 making 420 horsepower and 376 pound-feet of torque. The 3.8-liter V-6 is set to become the standard engine and some point in the 2015 model year, and it makes a respectable 311 horses and 293 pound-feet of torque.

Pricing for the K900 starts at $59,500 for the V-8-powered model and goes north with options. Pricing for the V-6 is not available as of 10/16/2014.