Reebok lost out on signing LeBron James, but the company is very close to a deal with Sonny Vaccaro that could establish its pipeline to future prep stars.

Over the years, the 64-year old Vaccaro has firmly established himself as the most influential person in the business of basketball. Not only has he persuaded teenagers to wear certain shoe brands, he also has helped players turning professional find agents, as well as helping coaches find a new job.

Although Reebok has Allen Iverson as its star endorser, the world's No. 2 athletic shoe brand has fallen to a distant third in terms of marketing to up-and-coming high school and AAU prospects. That battle is led by Nike and adidas, whose credibility has been fortified by Vaccaro's presence over the past 11 years.

That's why Vaccaro is highly coveted by Reebok, which unsuccessfully tried to sign him last year. Vaccaro declined to comment on negotiations, but Tom Shine, Reebok's senior vice president of global sports and entertainment, said that Vaccaro is scheduled to sign with the company in a few days.

"Reebok believes in a need to develop brand authenticity in the grassroots marketplace and we have to do that more than advertise our product on television," Shine said. "Sonny is the person that offers that skill set and professionalism that is representative of the program Reebok is building."

Thanks to the visibility of LeBron James, the race for the next James -- or someone who can come anywhere close -- has intensified. Vaccaro actually kicked off the hype over James when he signed James' St. Vincent-St. Mary high school team to a two-year deal. Nike eventually prevailed over Reebok and signed the NBA's top draft pick to a seven-year, $90 million deal in May.

Vaccaro comes face-to-face with the nation's best high school players since he owns three high school tournaments -- tournaments that likely will be rebranded with the Reebok name should the deal be consummated.

"The move will provide instant credibility to Reebok," said Chris Rivers, adidas' manager of grassroots and college basketball and Vaccaro's business partner who has already committed to working for Reebok.

Vaccaro started his first tournament, the Roundball Classic high school all-star game, in 1965. Since then Vaccaro has run two annual high school basketball player events during the summer -- the Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas and the ABCD Camp in New Jersey. ABCD and Nike's camp competes for talent as both events take place during the same week in July.

The new names on the minds of shoe executives include ninth graders O.J. Mayo and Taylor King, both of whom attended ABCD Camp last year, as well as seniors Sebastian Telfair and Shaun Livingston.

Adidas sponsored at least 75 high schools last season in exchange for free shoes, bags and warm-ups, but like Nike, the company had many more contractual deals with AAU teams than individual high schools. Exceptions include adidas' deal with St. Vincent-St. Mary and Nike's deals with schools like Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) and Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.).

Half of the 40 AAU teams adidas has under contract have two more years left and Vaccaro would not be able to undo those deals. One of those teams is the Atlanta Celtics, who this summer featured 6-foot-10 center Dwight Howard, the possible No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft.

Vaccaro joined Nike in 1978, inking college coaches to deals in a market dominated by Converse. In 1984, Vaccaro signed a rookie named Michael Jordan to a five-year, $2.5 million deal to pitch Air Jordans.

After signing with adidas in 1992, Vaccaro built up the German company's brand in the basketball cosmos by signing some of the top high school stars who made the jump to the NBA, including Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady.

Vaccaro could also help Reebok become more active on the college basketball scene, one that is dominated by Nike, with adidas in a respectable second place.

This past season, 49 of the 65 teams in the Division I men's basketball championship wore Nike, including all Final Four teams -- Marquette, Texas, Kansas and eventual champion Syracuse.

Adidas' biggest contracts are with UCLA, Louisville, Mississippi State, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Tennessee and Wisconsin, while Reebok has even fewer schools, including Utah, Memphis and Boston College.

Darren Rovell, who covers sports business for ESPN.com, can be reached at darren.rovell@espn3.com.