A promotional video for the app used a character resembling James, wearing his number and nickname, prompting his lawyers to demand it stop.
LeBron James is done watching an AI sports betting app wear his likeness like a costume. A spokesperson for the 76ers star confirmed an attorney sent a cease-and-desist letter to PlayVision Inc., the startup behind Bron AI, telling it to stop using James's image without authorization.
The app describes itself as a tool that pulls data and odds from traditional sportsbooks and prediction markets so users can spot favorable wagers and place bets through other apps. Its promotional video, posted to social media on Wednesday, features a character resembling James, wearing a jersey with the number 23 and the name "Bron," whose voice also resembles his. In the clip, the character flips through the app and reacts to a betting line involving Suns forward Dillon Brooks before the post was taken down.
The video had already picked up over 900,000 views in less than a day before it disappeared from X/Twitter. Former Lakers teammate Luka Dončić has also joined in, issuing his own cease-and-desist over the same ad. James has an existing endorsement deal with the prediction market Polymarket, which adds some friction to an app built around identifying betting opportunities under his name.