Bron AI, an AI sports betting app, is teasing a name change after receiving cease-and-desist letters from attorneys representing NBA stars LeBron James and Luka Dončić. The company's CEO, Anish Gupta, shared a video on social media hinting at a rebrand.
Gupta posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the company "heard y’all loud and clear" and is "back in the arena" for a new name, asking for suggestions. The accompanying video featured an AI-generated person stating, "the Internet was loud, and we heard you. It’s time for a new name," before being cut off.
The legal action stemmed from an advertisement Bron AI posted on social media earlier in the week. The ad featured an individual resembling James, wearing a No. 23 jersey with the name "Bron" and using the app. The ad also incorporated the likeness and names of other athletes, including Dončić, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Donovan Mitchell, and Dillon Brooks.
Adam Mendelsohn, James's longtime media adviser, commented to the California Post that the ad was "another example of the decline and lack of originality in sports media," attributing it to a pursuit of "cheap clicks and aggregation." He suggested that the company might have intended for the cease-and-desist letters to be part of a social media strategy.
The social media posts from Bron AI garnered over 900,000 views in less than 24 hours before being removed from X and Instagram following reports of the cease-and-desist orders. Bron AI markets itself as the "TikTok for betting."