Have you seen the new Nike commercial featuring LeBron James? If not, watch it below and read on.

Television commercials don’t usually affect the online betting world, but when it involves LeBron James, it always matters to the NBA. The commercial is James’ response to all the criticism after leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the star talent of Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh on the Miami Heat. Growing up in Ohio, not only was James viewed as the best player in the NBA, but he was the hometown boy for Cleveland fans. After decades of disappointment, the Cavalier nation thought James was their answer for a championship. He came close the past couple of years, but fell short each time even though the team was designed around him. Now, James is hoping for brighter days and some championships in Miami with a couple of other first round picks from his draft year. On paper, the trio of James, Bosh and Wade is unmatched in the NBA and they are all unselfish players in their own right so he may get his wish.

I don’t blame James’ decision for leaving Cleveland. But the way he is handling the aftermath is a bit ridiculous. He didn’t need a one-hour ESPN special titled “The Decision” to tell us where he was going to play. No other player has done that before so why is ESPN so desperate for ratings? And, this commercial wasn’t a good move by Nike, either. It seems that James has everyone at his beck and call. However, the commercial isn’t going to silence the critics and that probably wasn’t James’ intention. He just wanted to speak his mind. He can do that because he gets ratings. The Miami-Boston game from last night was the most watched regular season NBA game in cable television history.

Parodies of the commercial are already popping up, such as ESPN SportsNation co-host Michelle Beadle’s below.

In the original commercial, James took a shot at Charles Barkley with a condescending “Hi, Chuck.” It was in response to the swipes Barkley has taken regarding James leaving Cleveland for Miami and having an ESPN special document his live decision. Barkley reacted to the commercial by saying that “LeBron is trying too hard, Nike is trying too hard. First of all, it probably took three days to shoot that commercial, which is too much.” Barkley normally annoys me with his big mouth, but he has a point here. There were a lot of locations in the commercial and it was all a bit overkill. But, I give props to Nike for backing up their player amid this controversial decision. Still, it was a bit too much in my opinion.

Here are a couple NBA special bets involving James from Titan Bet.

Player to average more points for the 2010-2011 regular season (player must play 60 games)

Dwayne Wade: 1/1

LeBron James: 4/5

Will LeBron James average a triple double for the 2010-2011 regular season (points, rebounds, assists – must play 60 games)?

No: 1/5

Yes: 4/1