Did you know that LeBron James was the first athlete to sign as an ambassador to Beats in 2008? 14 years later, his son Bronny James walked the same path. In 2022, Bronny became the first high school athlete to ink a deal with Beats by Dre. It was reported that Bronny had the highest NIL valuation worth $5.9 million (a record he still holds) because of his lucrative deals with Beats by Dre, PSD Underwear, and Nike.
College basketball stepped up to a whole new level after the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) came into the picture. The young stars are urged to perform better because it is directly related to how much they earn. Unfortunately, Bronny’s fate changed after he suffered a cardiac arrest last July. His NIL value started declining due to his absence from the court and poor performance after he returned. Things took a more drastic turn when Bronny’s female counterpart, Angel Reese featured in a new ad campaign ‘Beats Solo 4’ for Beats by Dre and he had his set of headphones delivered to his house.
Taking to Instagram, James Jr. uploaded a story, holding the Beats Solo 4 headphones and captioned the post, “Got my solosss.” Many may have expected Bronny to appear in the ad campaign, but Angel Reese outshined him. The other athletes who featured in the ad are gymnast Sha’Carri Richardson, and tennis star Naomi Osaka. Reese also uploaded photos of the ad on her social media, where the WNBA rookie donned a long brown coat with yellow pants and enjoyed her balling session as she listened to songs in the new headphones to pump her up. Well, Reese has also been spotted promoting the $2.81 trillion brand uniquely in the past few months.
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Wearing my new fav Beats Solo 4 in CLOUD PINK for my first campaign with Beats! 💋 Taking these with me everywhere! #beatspartner pic.twitter.com/TYiJ9m3WM4
— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) May 5, 2024
In January, as part of Reese’s NIL sponsorship with Beats by Dre, she gifted her teammates and coaches an LSU-themed, purple, and gold headphones. Reese handed over this special gift to the team in an attempt to pump them before the match against South Carolina. Reese posted pictures of this special moment and wrote, “I know we have a big game, and keeping us locked in and focused is important. Talent wins games, but teamwork wins championships. So, here’s something to keep us all locked in and to push forward for the rest of this season – one game at a time.”
Later, in February, Reese shared a video of her visiting the LSU men’s basketball team meeting. There she gifted the players and coaches with headphone boxes marked with the Beats by Dre logo. It is worth noting that Reese has a vast portfolio of partnerships. Apart from Beats by Dre, she has signed deals with iconic brands like Amazon, Play Station, Reebok, ZOA Energy, Airbnb, Bose, Sonic, Bayou Traditions, and more. As per On3, Reese’s NIL value is $1.7 million and Bronny James’ valuation stands at $3.7 million.
On the other hand, it must be noted that the connection between Beats with King James and his family dates back to 2008.
Beats by Dre gave LeBron James a glimpse of playing with Bronny
It was a full-circle moment for the James family when Bronny inked the deal with the $2.81 Trillion brand in 2022. Fourteen years ago, King James became the first ambassador of the brand. In October 2022, Beats by Dre announced the sponsorship of James’ eldest son on social media with a 90-second heart-thumping ad. The video featured LeBron James going against Bronny in a one-on-one basketball game.
They were wearing similar-looking Beats Fit Pro earbuds but listening to their choice of music. As the video alternated between the father-son duo, the music also changed from classical to hip-hop. It is King James’ dream to play with his eldest son and he has expressed it on several occasions. Recently, Bronny announced that he had entered the transfer portal. Well, we don’t know if the Los Angeles Lakers will draft him and James will have his dream fulfilled, but this ad by the brand gave The Akron Hammer the sweet experience of playing with his son.
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The Chosen One vs. The Chosen Son. 👑👑
Shop Beats Fit Pro at https://t.co/7Rut03Sx69@KingJames pic.twitter.com/W45x0tirur
— Beats by Dre (@beatsbydre) October 17, 2022
Then in December 2022, another ad featuring the father-son duo was released. This time it was a different theme – Fatherhood. The video featured unseen home footage of LeBron James and his journey of being a father after Bronny was born. King James posted this ad on his social media and captioned the heartwarming video, “I am who I am because of YOU! Thank you son 🥺😢🥺 LOVE YOU YOUNG KING 🤴🏾🤎 @bronny.”
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The brand didn’t stop there. Last year, they featured the whole James family in the “King & The Viking” ad campaign. This ad portrayed how the brand helped LeBron James and soccer star Erling Haaland silence the surrounding noise before they played. In the video, for James’ segment, they have used his wife, Savannah’s voice-over. She tells James, “… Tell them you’re not done until you play with your son, then do that…again. Show them why you’re nothing to be played with. The GOAT. Show them why you’re the king again.”
Over the years the brand has always come up with powerful videos for the James family. But, this time when many were expecting to see Bronny for an ad campaign by them, Angel Reese featured in it. However, the 19-year-old could find solace in another ad if he makes the right moves to increase his NIL valuation. Reports indicate that Beats plans to launch the Solo Buds in June. With the NBA draft coming around the same time, who knows he might land an advertisement with Solo. Hopefully, Bronny will use this snub as motivation and get back his position as the leading NIL athlete.