The lawyers for Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander issued a cease-and-desist letter to Underdog Sports over a promotion from the fantasy sports company that mocked the reigning two-time NBA MVP’s effort to draw fouls, Jason Jones of The Athletic reported on Wednesday night.
Underdog Sports created a game called “Unethical Hoops” based on the popular battery-operated game Operation. In the game, a buzzer would go off for a foul whenever Gilgeous-Alexander was touched. Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks starred in a video for Underdog that showed off the game.
Additionally, Underdog held a contest giving away 100 copies of the game during Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals between the Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs. The video and contest went viral.
After the video and contest went viral, Gilgeous-Alexander’s lawyers sent a cease and desist letter to Underdog, as The Athletic explained:
“In a letter dated May 22 and obtained by The Athletic, Eric Fishman of law firm ArentFox Schiff LLP, representing Gilgeous-Alexander, asked Underdog to ‘permanently cease and desist from any and all use of Mr. Gilgeous-Alexander’s NIL in any and all media, including but not limited to your website (including the Unethical Hoops Website), apps, social media accounts, digital marketing and advertisements, promotional emails, push notifications, affiliate or influencer placements, and any physical goods including but not limited to the board game advertised on the Unethical Hoops Website.'”
“The letter also asks that all board games be destroyed and that Underdog not use Gilgeous-Alexander’s name, image or likeness without his permission,” according to The Athletic.
The NBA world has accused Gilgeous-Alexander of foul-baiting and flopping frequently over the last two seasons, and it’s been a huge narrative during the current playoffs as SGA and the Thunder try to repeat as NBA champions.
“Underdog did not immediately comment on the letter,” The Athletic added.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
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