LeBron James has issued a cease-and-desist letter to an AI-powered sports betting tool that the NBA star says uses his likeness, a spokesperson for James confirmed.
Anish Gupta, the CEO of the app “Bron AI,” released a video that features a person resembling James wearing a jersey with his nickname, “Bron,” and the number 23.
The character appears to be scrolling through players before stopping on Dillon Brooks, a longtime rival of James.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE OUTKICK SPORTS COVERAGE
“Dillon Brooks? On Kalshi? Hell nah,” the character says.
According to Apple’s App Store, Bron is “a sports analytics and betting research app with live odds comparisons, data-backed picks, player and team brands, a multi-leg Slip, and bet tracking.”
But the striking resemblance to the NBA’s all-time leading scorer was enough for James himself to act.
“LeBron is in no way affiliated with this unauthorized use of his likeness,” a spokesperson for James said to Front Office Sports.
The letter said the “unauthorized use and illicit exploitation of” James’ “name, nickname, likeness, image, persona, and other identifying attributes, materials and related information” were used in the ad. The letter also says that it implies James is “involved with betting on basketball, which is a very serious violation of NBA rules and regulations.”
VICTOR WEMBANYAMA DOES BEST WILT CHAMBERLAIN IMPRESSION WITH 50-20 NIGHT, SAYS HE CAN ‘STILL DO MORE’
James has a brand deal with the prediction market Polymarket.
The letter is asking Bron AI to permanently stop using James’ likeness and tell everyone who uses the app that the Philadelphia 76ers star is not affiliated with the app.
“I’m sure the intent here was for us to send a cease and desist in order to make it a story,” James’ longtime media adviser Adam Mendelsohn told Front Office Sports. “You would prefer not to respond but you don’t have a choice in a situation like this. It’s not the first time and it won’t be the last. For what it’s worth, these gimmicks never work because people see through it.”
SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY OUTKICK NEWSLETTER
The app is free to download but costs $249.99 annually, or $29.99 monthly, to use its pro version.
Read the full article here