That bizarre Bronny James logo battle is NOT fake news

Bronny James, son of basketball legend LeBron James, recently announced a collab with Nike, which came with its very own logo. Things seemed to be going smoothly until the sportswear brand applied for a routine trademark filing for James' custom emblem, only to be swiftly blocked due to alleged similarities to a rival brand's logo.

Even the best logos have been caught up in legal disputes, so this is nothing new in the branding world – it's the fans that have elevated the tension. Rushing to James' defence, reactions have been a steady mix of frustration and outright confusion as supporters grapple to see the similarities between the two logos.

The official legal filing reveals that Nike applied to use James' custom B9 logo on footwear, clothing, and sports jerseys. But to Nike's surprise, a 'B9' logo already exists, belonging to Austin-based Back 9 Golf Apparel.

While James' logo features a stylised lowercase 'b' motif with a '9' nestled within the design, the golf brand's logo consists of clean, bold letterforms, which would seemingly distinguish the two identities. However, the court decision claims the brands are "identical in appearance, sound, connotation, and commercial impression," due to their shared name and sale of sports apparel, which could confuse consumers.

"Hard to believe this isn’t the Onion or some parody. Never in a million years would I ever confuse one of those logos for the other if I was shopping in a sports gear store," a fan on Reddit wrote. "Nahh that's not similar at all. Are they trademarking putting a number inside of a letter??" another confused fan on X added.

For more logo disputes, check out Taylor Swift's recent spat with Swift Homes over a cursive font or take a look at the bizarre opponent that Ferrari lost a legal battle to.