‘LeBron James is in legal dispute with Miami Heat owner’: Lakers star prevents Micky Arison from using his nickname

Samir Mehdi
|PublishedNov 26, 2020

'LeBron James is in legal dispute with Miami Heat owner': Lakers star prevents Micky Arison from using his nickname

LeBron James is stepping in and taking legal action against Micky Arison regarding his image rights over the name of a cruise ship.

LeBron James is perhaps the most marketable superstar athlete in the world currently. James’s supremacy over the league was once again bolstered by his 2020 championship, making it his 4^th title.

This overall dominance over the entirety of the league has earned him the nickname, “King James”. It was even the name on the back of his jersey back when the NBA allowed nickname jerseys.

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However, recently, LeBron James has landed himself in hot water and it all stems from the fact that his nickname is “King James”.

The dispute he is currently a part of is between his company, LBJ Trademarks and his former team’s owner, Micky Arison, who is the owner of the Miami Heat.

LeBron James is a part of an ongoing legal dispute over his nickname.

Back in August of 2019, Carnival Cruises filed a trademark for the name “KING JAMES”, in an attempt to name one of their cruises by the same name.

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This however, was blocked by James’ legal team, as they had issue with Carnival using a name that is so synonymous with the 4x MVP.

There are 2 main factors that influenced LeBron James’s legal team to filed a complaint on Carnival. The first was of course, to avoid the public from creating a false sense of association between the cruise line and LeBron James himself.

LeBron James has blocked Carnival Cruise Line’s attempt to register a trademark for KING JAMES.

Carnival’s trademark filing indicated it wanted to use KING JAMES as the name of a ship.

LeBron filed a formal opposition to the application last week. 👇#KingJames #LeBronJames pic.twitter.com/UPgQokkgiW

— Josh Gerben (@JoshGerben) November 25, 2020

The second would be due to LeBron James being associated with the nickname for well over a decade. King James was LeBron’s nickname well before he had even stepped on the court for Micky Arison’s Miami Heat.

Carnival will have 40 days to issue an official rebuttal and explanation as to why they should be allowed to used “KING JAMES” on one of their cruises.

About the author

Samir Mehdi

Samir Mehdi is a senior strategist for the NBA division at The Sportsrush. Ever since he was 13 years old, he’s been obsessed with the game of basketball. From watching Kobe Bryant’s highlights on YouTube to now, analyzing and breaking down every single game on League Pass, Samir’s passion for the game is unwavering. He's a complete basketball junkie who not only breaks down current games but also keenly watches ones from the 60s’ and 70s’ while also reading comprehensive books on the history of the league. Samir’s life revolves around basketball and he hopes that shows in his work. Aside from work, he loves to spend time in the gym and with his friends at social gatherings.

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