Bronny James is following in the footsteps of his superstar father and cementing his family’s ties to Beats by Dre after the company announced it had signed a name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal with the 18-year-old student-athlete.
The California-based audio products manufacturer on Monday announced the partnership in a promotional video that featured Bronny and his father playing one-one-basketball on a backyard court, The Los Angeles Times reported. The promotional video ends with the quote: “The Legacy Continues.”
“LeBron has been part of the Beats family since the beginning, so we had the honor of watching Bronny grow with us in an unofficial capacity,” Beats’ chief marketing officer, Chris Thorne, told the news outlet. “With the NIL changes, we knew that he would be the perfect partner.”
The company also said LeBron James – a four-time NBA champion – was its first athlete brand ambassador. The 37-year-old Los Angeles Lakers superstar inked the deal with Beats in 2008. And just like his father, Bronny will take up a role that will see him feature in campaigns for Beats. He will also show off products that have been custom-made for him.
And though Thorne did not talk about the monetary aspect of the deal, he told The Los Angeles Times that the company hoped their partnership with Bronny would be a “longstanding” one – just like what they have with his father.
The 18-year-old is entering his final year at Sierra Canyon, and he has reportedly been impressive on the court. It is anticipated that he’ll declare for the 2024 NBA draft, CBS Sports reported.
“What makes Bronny the perfect ambassador for Beats is not just his talent, but his leadership, personality and influence on youth culture,” Thorne said.
The Chosen One vs. The Chosen Son. ??
— Beats by Dre (@beatsbydre) October 17, 2022
Shop Beats Fit Pro at https://t.co/7Rut03Sx69@KingJames pic.twitter.com/W45x0tirur
Bronny’s recent partnership with Beats comes after he signed a multi-million dollar deal with Nike. And as reported by Face2Face Africa, Bronny inked the deal with the sportswear giant after he celebrated his 18th birthday. His father also has a partnership with Nike.
The sportswear giant made the announcement after signing Bronny and four other athletes to their brand. The four other athletes include Caitlin Clark, DJ Wagner, Haley Jones and JuJu Watkins.
“For as long as I can remember, Nike’s been a part of my family,” Bronny said about the partnership in a statement. “Getting a chance to team up with them and continue my family’s legacy both on the court and in the community is wild — it really means a lot to me.”