Can’t a basketball superstar drink in peace?
During a basketball game Monday night, LeBron James grabbed a bottle of Great Lakes Brewing’s Dortmunder Gold––and the brewery was ecstatic, Cleveland.com reports.
LeBron, on the other hand? Not so much.
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A source close to James said his camp may consider legal action against the brewing company’s use of the basketball All-Star.
There are personal reasons for James’s displeasure.
When James left the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat in 2010, Great Lakes Brew sold “Quitness,” a brew described as “a dry hopped India pale ale that leaves a bitter aftertaste, perfectly describing the mood of Cleveland sports fans these days."
Burn! Still, the brewery brazenly seized on James as a PR opportunity when he reached for a bottle of their Dortmunder Gold during the fourth quarter of his Monday night game.
After he was fouled near the sideline, James was spotted taking a bottle to his lips, moving it a bit away, pausing, and the rest is Great Lakes PR history.
Tuesday, Great Lakes tweeted out a photo of a cardboard cutout version of James holding the beer.
Another tweet, which has since been taken down, read: “We thought last night was pretty rad, so we’re doing $1 off Dort pints and $2 off Dort crowlers all day today at the pub.#DefendtheLand.”
James quickly responded.
"This is about the last thing I'm trying to worry about right now. My agent and my legal team will take care of it, but yeah I know [Great Lakes] is trying to benefit off of me,” James told Cleveland.com. "And I heard they were the same company that made all those 'Quitness' beers, and now they're trying to benefit off me this way? Yeah, it's pretty funny."
Sources close to James said an endorsement from the basketball great would normally cost companies at least $2 million.
Talk about a bitter aftertaste.
