LeBron James filed for two sets of trademarks for use on digital assets from virtual footwear to basketball courts in the metaverse.
This article has been updated to reflect new filings, which were submitted on April 5.
LeBron James has his hands in so many business ventures off the court that it’s sometimes tough to keep track (though it’s our job to keep track, so we make it work). Although the Lakers’ season came to an early end on April 5 as they were eliminated from the playoffs, James and his lawyers ensured he was prepared to keep himself busy in the off-season.
Coming off recent news that James’ museum will open in his hometown of Akron, Ohio next year, LeBron’s legacy will now also live on in the metaverse.
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As noted by attorney Josh Gerben of Gerben Intellectual Property, James filed four new trademark applications on March 4 indicating growing ambitions in the metaverse. LBJ submitted two sets of trademark applications for the following:
March 9
- LeBron
- King James,
- Chosen1
- LeBron James
April 5
- Strive for Greatness
- Striving 4 Greatness
- Strive 4 Greatness
- Striving for Greatness
Each filing was introduced with the assistance of lawyer Howard Shire from the law firm Troutman Pepper. LeBron is looking to trademark his names for downloadable digital assets including digital collectibles, digital tokens, and NFTs featuring virtual goods. He may try to sell branded meta merch like “footwear, clothing, swimwear, headwear, bags, backpacks, sports equipment, sporting goods, toys, home furnishings, posters, trading cards, headphones, phones, video games, watches, jewelry, accessories, and home decor.”
On the digital collectibles side, James’ prospective metaverse trademarks will cover NFTs that include basketball players, records, stats, images, videos, and virtual experiences. The filings also indicate that there will soon be a website for everything LeBron in the metaverse, which may include conducting and hosting events online and in VR. Per the filings, that may come in the form of “virtual basketball courts, gyms, and recreational facilities for playing sports in the metaverse and virtual worlds.”
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Additionally, the filings include an online marketplace for buyers and sellers of downloadable digital products that are authenticated by non-fungible tokens.
You can pretty much see LeBron everywhere, including on your favorite shoes and other IRL apparel, on commercials for brands like Sprite, and on his Uninterrupted TV show The Shop, which is currently in the midst of its fifth season. As the Lakers begin to eye what comes next, it sure looks like we’ll be seeing a whole lot of the best player of our generation in the metaverse. And like he’s dominated everywhere else, expect James to thrive in Web3.
