Despite limited playing time in the first two seasons of his NBA career, that hasn’t stopped Bronny James of the Los Angeles Lakers from getting his own Nike logo.
Now, the shoe and apparel company is reportedly filing for a trademark for the logo of LeBron James’ son, according to trademark attorney Josh Gerben.
The younger James already had a signature logo and filed for multiple trademarks for himself years ago, but now Nike is hoping to have the trademark for his signature logo going forward.
“Nike quietly filed a trademark for a logo on Monday for a Los Angeles Lakers player with the last name of James. Not LeBron. Not this time. Bronny,” Michael Duarte wrote for the New York Post. “Apparently, Bronny James, the 21-year-old two-way guard with the Lakers has his own personal logo — an Old English-style lower-case ‘b,‘ stitched together with a white-on-black No. 9.”
The so far short NBA career of James with the Lakers has already been marred by criticism, considering how he was drafted into the league by his father’s team, and the latest news about the 21-year-old is already receiving some backlash.
Bronny James Under Fire For Signature Logo Trademarks
Back in 2022, when the younger James was just 17, he reportedly filed trademarks for “BRONNY”, “A logo on his ‘B J JR.’ signature,” and “BRONALD,” according to Gerben. However, that was while he was still in high school, and he caught some flak for the news at the time, considering he hadn’t even yet played a college basketball game, let alone being drafted and stepping foot on an NBA court.
But now, after he already has a signature logo, which was first showcased on a pair of Nike LeBron Witness 9 Player Edition shoes in January, Nike is filing for a trademark with his signature logo.
“You’d have to be naive to think a Bronny logo wasn’t possible,” Jason Jones wrote for The Athletic weeks ago. “LeBron is one of the biggest stars in Nike’s history and sports history. If his son has a logo and wants it on a shoe, Bronny is getting a logo. LeBron has his own building on the Nike campus, so Bronny playing in Player Edition shoes should be somewhat expected.”
But regardless of either James or Nike’s plans for the future with his signature logo, the decision has since sparked major backlash on social media, with fans criticizing both the player and the company for going forward with the move, even though he still isn’t a consistent rotational player for the Lakers.
“They making the Bench James 1’s,” X user @L_ALL_DAY100 wrote.
“Has anyone else that has averaged 1.9 points a game, gotten their own logo?” X user @IamVinnyG asked.
“The smart move would been for him to trademark all of his branding himself and then license it to Nike. Not sure why he’s letting them ‘own it‘ from the start,” X user OnlyCharizard wrote.
Regardless, the son of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, while he fights for a spot on the Lakers on a nightly basis, will now be one of many players in the league with a signature logo under the Nike umbrella.
Bronny James Lakers Stats And Career
James was picked 55th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, a move that was rife with controversy considering his father’s status on the Lakers. He averaged just 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on 36.6% shooting in 26 games at USC in his lone collegiate season, which came just months after he suffered a heart attack during a workout.
But in the NBA ranks, James hasn’t been a steady contributor for the Lakers. He did help set history with LeBron, as the two became the first father-son duo to ever play in a professional basketball game together last season, but that was one of his only highlights of the year. In 2024-25, James finished with averages of 2.3 points, 0.7 rebounds, and 0.8 assists on 31.3% shooting in 6.7 minutes in 27 games, with one start.
This season has been a similar story, as in 30 games so far in 2025-26, he’s put up 2.2 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists on 39.7% from the field and 41.4% from three-point range.
James has spent a lot of time in the G-League with the South Bay Lakers, and he’s had some notable performances while trying to work his way back to the Los Angeles first team. This year in the developmental league, he is averaging 15.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in 26 minutes per game, all of which are down from his G-League stats last season, but still nothing to scoff at.
The merits of James’ entrance in the NBA and now having his own signature logo can certainly be up for debate, but for the time being, he is a member of the Lakers, trying to become a better player.
While his father’s future with the team is still up in the air, it is fair to say his future is in the same boat, as, if LeBron leaves Los Angeles, it’s uncertain whether Bronny will be there next year, too.
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