Former Lakers teammates LeBron James and Luka Dončić are battling a common opponent off the court.
James is seeking to get an AI sports betting app, called Bron AI, to stop using his image without permission, a spokesperson for James confirmed to the California Post.
An attorney sent a cease and desist letter on behalf of the 76ers star to PlayVision Inc., the sports technology startup that owns Bron AI.
The ad for Bron AI that was posted on social media on Wednesday and led to the ban shows a person purporting to look like James — wearing a No. 23 basketball jersey with the name “Bron” on it — flipping through the app.
The social media posts were viewed more than 900,000 times in less than 24 hours before being removed from X/Twitter after Front Office Sports first reported the ban.
James, who left the Lakers for the 76ers in free agency last summer, has an exclusive endorsement deal with Polymarket.
Adam Mendelsohn, James’ longtime media advisor, told the Post that the Bron AI ad is “another example of the decline and lack of originality in sports media.”
“It’s all about cheap clicks and aggregation,” Mendelsohn said in a statement to the Post. “A lot of pundits do this too. I’m sure their intention all along was for us to send a ceasefire in order to play the social media game. You’d rather not respond, but you don’t have a choice in a situation like this.”
The Bron AI commercial featured several athletes, including NBA players Giannis Antetokounmpo, Donovan Mitchell and Dillon Brooks.
A cease-and-desist notice from Dončić was also sent to PlayVision Inc., a source close to the Lakers superstar told the Post.
So everything is not perfect for the Slovenian sniper. Well, on the ground it might be.
Gn sports
