LeBron James has sent a cease-and-desist letter to the AI-powered sports betting app Bron AI, demanding it stop using his likeness. The app’s owner, PlayVision Inc., had released a promotional video featuring a character who resembles the NBA star.

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

The video was posted to X. It shows a figure in a jersey bearing the nickname “Bron” and the No. 23, speaking in a voice that resembles James’s. Front Office Sports reports the ad passed 900,000 views in under 24 hours.

According to the outlet, Bron AI aggregates odds from sportsbooks and prediction markets and can place bets on other apps. Its pro tier costs $249.99 a year or $29.99 a month. PlayVision, founded in 2025, is backed by Y Combinator.

The letter demands that Bron AI stop using James’s likeness “in any manner and media.” It also asks the company to notify every user in writing that James is not involved,

The letter calls the ad “especially serious and egregious” because it implies James is “involved with betting on basketball, which is a very serious violation of NBA rules and regulations.” It also notes his exclusive endorsement deal with the prediction market Polymarket.

Adam Mendelsohn, James’s longtime media advisor, called the ad “another example of the decline and lack of originality in sports marketing.”

“I’m sure the intent here was for us to send a cease and desist in order to make it a story,” Mendelsohn told Front Office Sports. “You would prefer not to respond but you don’t have a choice in a situation like this.”

Sports attorney Darren Heitner said the ad “seems designed to evoke him and capitalize on his stature in connection with an unrelated sports betting product.” He added, “That is the type of unauthorized commercial use the right of publicity is intended to address.”

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