The hottest, most anticipated sports marketing campaigns of the summer have nothing to do with the World Cup. They’re not being financed by super-brands like Nike or Coke. No, this summer, millions will be talking about the glitzy, celebrity-filled campaigns all aimed at an audience of one.

LeBron James. (That’s King James to you, by the way.)

On Thursday, July 1, the Summer of LeBron officially kicked off with the start of NBA free-agency. James has fulfilled his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers and is free to sign with any NBA team he pleases. The two-time MVP and six-time All Star is being wooed in earnest by the Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, New Jersey Nets, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks and, of course, the Cavs. But, many feel New York, Chicago and Cleveland are the true front runners.

So what’s it going to take to get the King? A real marketing smackdown. Let’s take a look at the contenders:

Cleveland: James was born and raised in Cleveland, and the hometown hero rescued his city’s franchise from the doldrums of the NBA. Fearing that nostalgia and loyalty aren’t enough to keep James put, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland joined a group called Clevelanders for LeBron in re-jiggering Live-Aid’s “We Are The World” into “Please Stay LeBron” – cheesy vocals and head sways included. And, a local radio DJ started his own grassroots movement asking every man in Cleveland to grow a beard – Beards for Bron – as a show of support for their man.

Chicago: With the Commander-in-Chief on its side, the Chicago Bulls might have a good shot at landing James. President Obama told TNT in an interview with Marv Albert that he could see “LeBron fitting in pretty well” in Chicago. Just in case James needs more convincing, Bulls fans, led by marketer AJ Barthold, have banded together to create SendLeBrontoChicago.com, a site so popular, it even has a following in China.

New York: Not to be outdone by Governor Strickland, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the city’s tourism board unveiled a video plea of their own as part of the C’mon LeBron marketing campaign to lure James out of Cleveland. Instead of a musical number, Bloomberg invokes the Almighty himself with a quote from the King James Bible. Bloomberg’s not alone in the campaign, either. He’s lately been joined by tennis legend John McEnroe who promises free tennis lessons in exchange for signing with the Knicks.

Our apologies to Cleveland, Chicago and New York, but we’re hoping LeBron holds out as long as he can. Who knows what marketing magic still awaits us in the Summer of LeBron?

What do you think? What city has done the best job marketing to LeBron?