Ahead of the 2026/27 NBA season, LeBron James signed a deal with Polymarket, an online prediction market that allows users to trade shares on the outcomes of real-world events. That partnership will help James earn nearly four times what he does with his new team, the Philadelphia 76ers. While James has found another way to expand his business empire beyond the hardwood by putting his name behind certain ventures, he isn’t letting everyone capitalize on his global popularity.

According to Front Office Sports, via a spokesperson for James, the NBA star sent a cease-and-desist letter to Bron AI, an AI-powered sports betting app that evokes his name and uses his likeness without authorization.

Bron AI isn’t necessarily a traditional sportsbook where users place bets. It functions more like a betting aggregator and assistant, helping users compare odds, identify opportunities, and execute wagers through third-party platforms. For example, if one sportsbook offers odds of 2.00 on James scoring 25+ points and another offers 2.20 on the same outcome, Bron AI could help identify which sportsbook offers the better potential result and help users place their wager there.

However, the app’s promotional material has attracted unwarranted attention from the 76ers star and his representatives, to the point that they had to make it clear on paper that James is not connected with Bron AI in any way.

On Wednesday, Bron AI posted a video on X featuring an AI-generated character wearing the No. 23 jersey and nicknamed “Bron” on the back. Moreover, the character even resembled James, right down to its voice, which makes it seem like the 76ers star is connected with the betting platform. In the video, the character browses the app before stopping on a photo of Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks. “Dillon Brooks? On Kalshi? H*** nah,” the character says. The post went viral on social media, with over 900,000 views on X.

“LeBron is in no way affiliated with this unauthorized use of his likeness,” a spokesperson for James told FOS.

While James having a partnership with Polymarket obviously made James’ camp act fast with the cease-and-desist letter, the bigger issue arose when the Bron AI advertisement implied that James is “involved with betting on basketball, which is a very serious violation of NBA rules and regulations,” according to the letter.

Under Article 35(f) of the NBA Constitution and By-Laws, it specifically states that, “Any person who directly or indirectly wagers money or anything of value on the outcome of any game played by a team in the league operated by the Association shall, on conviction… be expelled from the Association permanently and banned from further association with it by the Commissioner.” In James’ Polymarket deal, he specifically promotes football, not basketball.

This is the second time James has had to send a cease-and-desist over something involving AI. In July 2025, his lawyers sent a cease-and-desist letter to Interlink AI, demanding that the company stop allowing users to generate videos featuring his likeness. The letter came after users created disturbing AI-generated videos depicting James as pregnant.

But the four-time NBA champion is not the only star having their likeness misused to promote an app tied to the sports betting world. In May, Underdog Sports released a controversial “Unethical Hoops” ad campaign and an Operation-style board game parodying reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s reputation for foul-drawing and flopping.

Whether it is AI-generated videos or betting platforms using his identity, LeBron James continues his determination to draw a clear line between ventures he endorses and those attempting to profit from his name without permission.