By all accounts, Latrell Sprewell doesn't care if he's marketable.

He doesn't care if playing in the nation's largest market favors his commercial appeal. He doesn't care if he's got that golden smile. He doesn't care to memorize catch phrases.

"He's not about doing commercials," said Bob Gist, Sprewell's agent. "Like most top athletes who make the money they do these days, he concentrates on the court and after they punch the clock all they want to do is go home and play their Xbox or Playstation 2s."

	Latrell Sprewell just completed a new shoe deal with Chris Webber's DaDa Footwear.

And for some companies that's completely fine. Many want nothing to do with the New York Knicks guard whose name they believe forever will be associated with choking Golden State Warriors coach P.J. Carlesimo, an incident that fueled Sprewell's lawsuits against the NBA seeking to recover the $6.4 million he lost from his 68-game suspension by team.

"Marketability sometimes depends on where an athlete's personality was born," said Scott Becher, president of Sports & Sponsorships, a sports marketing firm that has worked to resurrect Barry Bonds' image in the corporate world. "Unfortunately for Latrell, he emerged in the national spotlight with that altercation, while a guy like Allen Iverson was first known for his prowess on the court rather than his troubles."

Although the buzz around the Carlesimo incident convinced Converse to terminate Sprewell's contract, several shoe companies have taken the risk by utilizing him. Dozens of other companies tapped Sprewell as their messenger only to be denied by his lack of interest on the business side of things.

Urban shoe brand AND 1 signed Sprewell in March 1999 and, over the last 3½ years, used him in three television commercials. One of them, entitled "American Dream," debuted during the 1999 NBA playoffs. It was controversial, which was exactly what the shoe company wanted as AND 1's public awareness soared.

"I've made mistakes," Sprewell said in the commercial. "But I don't let them keep me down. People say I'm what's wrong with sports. I say I'm a three-time NBA All-Star. People say I'm America's worst nightmare. I say I'm the American Dream."

"Everyone in the media said how shameful it was and in the process everyone reading asked themselves, 'Who is this little basketball company that signed badboy Latrell Sprewell?' " AND 1 spokesperson Errin Cecil-Smith said.

The company launched two Sprewell shoes, including the Spree Mid in February, which Cecil-Smith said did "phenomenally well."

Madison Avenue marketing types might bring back his choking incident and the recent hullabaloo over how he broke his hand -- his $40 million defamation suit filed in New York Supreme Court for how the New York Post told the story is ongoing -- but Cecil-Smith said AND 1's target market didn't care about Sprewell's off-the-court issues.

"The two things our 12-to-24 year old customer cares about is how good he is playing and how good the shoe looks," Cecil-Smith said.

"Marketers could focus on the cornrows and the tattoos, but the kid who walks into the store doesn't even think of that as one of his defining characteristics," Gist said.

Gist said Sprewell is still popular among sponsors, having turned down 18 offers over the past year for endorsements ranging from food products to memorabilia. Sprewell, who ranks No. 10 on the most popular NBA player jersey sales this season, also turned down parts in the sitcom "Suddenly Susan" and in a movie with Robert De Niro.

Despite his inactivity in the corporate world, Sprewell will likely have plenty of offers in the future, said Ryan Schinman, president of Platinum Rye Entertainment, a New-York based marketing firm.

	“	He's not the type for the mainstream Fortune 500 company whose product is outside the basketball industry. But he could be perfect for the edgy startup trying to create an immediate buzz while looking to tap into the youth market. ”
		— Ryan Schinman, president of Platinum Eye Entertainment

"He's not the type for the mainstream Fortune 500 company whose product is outside the basketball industry," Schinman said. "But he could be perfect for the edgy startup trying to create an immediate buzz while looking to tap into the youth market."

Gist said Sprewell likely will continue to stay low-key in the endorsement world aside from shoes, for which he has a soft spot.

Having just completed his deal with AND 1, Sprewell is on the cusp of signing with DaDa Footwear, a fashion company that has produced two Chris Webber shoes, the CDUBBZ and the C4.

"Our customer base loves Latrell," said DaDa Footwear's CEO Lavetta Willis, who noted that a yet-to-be-named Sprewell shoe will hit the market next fall. "The Knicks might not be winning right now, but with him being in New York, he's going to get plenty of attention anyway."

Willis said part of the agreement with Latrell is that the company won't seek to control his image.

"A lot of athletes get bought into endorsement contracts, whether they are selling shoes, tires or another product, and they have to portray themselves in a way that the company wants them to be portrayed," Willis said. "We promised Latrell we wouldn't do that."

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