Is LeBron James Heading To The Metaverse?

One of the top NBA players could be headed to the metaverse, according to a recently announced trademark filing.

What Happened: LeBron James has filed for several trademarks involving the metaverse, as reported by trademark attorney Josh Gerben of Gerben Law.

“LeBron James is taking his talents to the metaverse,” Gerben tweeted.

James' filing includes items like virtual goods, virtual footwear, sports equipment, trading cards, phones, video games, watches, jewelry and accessories. The filing also included a trademark for James on virtual basketball courts, gyms and recreational facilities for playing sports in the metaverse.

The trademark filings follow his son LeBron James Jr., also known as Bronny, who filed for trademarks for “BJ JR,” “Bronny” and “Bronald” across several sectors including NFTs, virtual goods, virtual clothing and video games.

Related Link: LeBron James Now Owns Part Of The Pittsburgh Penguins 

Why It’s Important: The filings from James come as Nike Inc NKE is betting aggressively on the growth of the metaverse. Nike has filed several metaverse trademarks and recently expanded its presence with an acquisition of digital sneaker company RTFKT and a push into the Roblox Corp RBLX video game with its own Nikeland. 

Nike, which signed James to a lifetime contract in 2015, has brought James into Nikeland. 

It could be interesting for investors to see if there are synergies between James' metaverse trademarks with Nike. 

James recently partnered with Crypto.com to provide cryptocurrency education to students in Ohio.

James became the first active NBA player to pass the $1 billion in earnings in July 2021. The milestone was hit with $300 million in earnings from basketball and more than $700 million from endorsements.

The trademark filings for James could expand his brand in the metaverse and come at a time when many companies and celebrities are filing trademarks for the metaverse to expand their businesses or to protect their copyright claim as the sector grows.

The growth of the metaverse and questions over it being a fad or having a lasting impact have led to a difference of opinions, with Tesla Inc TSLA CEO Elon Musk calling the metaverse a “marketing buzzword.”

“Space Jam: A New Legacy,” which was released in 2021, featured James being transported into a metaverse. The movie saw mediocre box office performance, with $70.6 million in domestic revenue and $162.9 million in  worldwide revenue.

The movie was released simultaneously on HBO Max, the streaming platform from AT&T Inc T, which could have impacted the box office success.

Could King James have the next big metaverse brand? NBA fans and metaverse enthusiasts could soon find out.

Photo by Eric Drost via Wikimedia.