Cavaliers sign with 2 marketing firms to expand global brand

When he first entered the NBA, LeBron James spoke of his desire to become a global icon. While that has more or less occurred, it appears his Cleveland Cavaliers want to follow suit.

The Cavs have hired two international marketing firms to help sell the team's brand in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and South America, according to ESPN's Darren Rovell.

One of the companies, Property Consulting Group, will focus on Australia, where both Kyrie Irving and Matthew Dellavedova were born.

NBA teams equally split international television money and merchandise sales, but team sponsorship deals in foreign countries are the sole domain of each team.

The Houston Rockets have been the most successful franchise at this, tapping the massive Chinese market after drafting Yao Ming in 2002.

Rovell reports that 25 percent of traffic to the Cavaliers' website comes from outside the United States.