ESPN didn’t play down one part of the business arrangement of the deal — that Gray, the former ESPN and NBC reporter who is now working on a freelance basis, was James’ preferred interviewer.

But the network didn’t say, and now says they didn’t know, that Gray’s travel and payment for “The Decision” show was being paid by the entity set up by Team LeBron and not by ESPN, as CNBC has learned.

“We aren’t privy to Gray’s arrangement,” said ESPN spokesman Mike Soltys. “He came as part of the package. We accepted Jim knowing that we would have extensive time for our people to interview LeBron, which was bulk of the show.”

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Update 1: ESPN spokesman Mike Soltys says that ESPN did in fact pay Gray’s travel and Keith Estabrook, LeBron’s publicist, said that LRMR, James’ marketing agency did not directly pay Gray. CNBC stands by its story that Gray was paid by the entity that was set up for the production.