LeBron James

“Taco Tuesday” Trademark Owner Hits Back At LeBron

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Multinational Mexican fast-food chain Taco Bell launched a campaign earlier this week to pursue the revocation of the trademark on the phrase “Taco Tuesday”. Trademarked since 1989, the phrase is legally owned by two entities. The primary owner is the Wyoming-based Taco John’s chain. Additionally, there is Gregory’s Bar & Restaurant, a family-owned eatery in Somers Point, New Jersey.

In their efforts to force a move on the part of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Taco Bell has enlisted NBA superstar LeBron James as part of their efforts. LeBron “never misses a Taco Tuesday and can often be seen celebrating the weekly tradition with his family,” a spokesperson for Taco Bell told HotNewHipHop. Furthermore, Taco Bell’s campaign involves a new ad featuring LeBron as well as a change.org petition.

Gregory’s Hits Back

Taco Bell drive-thru with open daily hours and surrounding plants, located in a city landscape with a clear sky above, Walnut Creek, California, March 27, 2023. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

However, one of the trademark holders is now hitting back against the latest efforts of Taco Bell. Gregory’s Bar & Restaurant has been a staple of Somers Point, New Jersey since 1946. It is currently owned by Gregory Gregory, the fourth generation of Gregorys to own the restaurant. “It truly is a David vs. Goliath scenario,” Gregory told NJ.com. Furthermore, Gregory wasn’t amused by the efforts of Taco Bell. “It seems unfair to me Taco Bell can have a trademark for the sound of the bell on their commercials, but they don’t want us to keep our trademark for ‘Taco Tuesday,’” Gregory said. “Everyone rings a bell.”

Furthermore, Gregory recalls that this isn’t LeBron’s first tangle with the trademark. The NBA veteran reportedly pursued it in 2019. “We reached out to his people back then,” Gregory said. “We would have been happy to sell it to him. But we never heard back.” However, Gregory admitted to the scale of the fight. “We are weighing our options to whatever steps we are going to take,” said Gregory. He is eager for Taco John’s will lead the fight since they are the bigger entity. Taco John’s controls the “Taco Tuesday” trademark in every state except New Jersey. “For us, does it make sense to spend a ton of money fighting this over a basket of $2.50 tacos?”

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Charles Barkley Expresses Frustration Over LeBron Rumors

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Is LeBron going to retire? Who knows. The 20-year NBA veteran made it clear that he was contemplating it after being swept out of the playoffs by the Nuggets. However, his final decision remains uncertain. A source told ESPN that they believe LeBron is leaning towards returning to the Lakers. Furthermore, the star has expressed that he would like to play alongside his son Bronny before he retires. Then again, there is every chance that this is it for LeBron after such a whimpering playoff performance.

Charles Barkley has never been one to stay quiet about his opinions. That’s what makes him such a great TV analyst. Recently, Barkley slammed the individuals who have defended Ja Morant. However, there’s one subject that’s gotten his proverbial goat…and it’s the NBA GOAT.

Charles Barkley Sounds Off

Barkley shared his thoughts during a call-in to The Pat McAfee Show. “I love LeBron, but he knew what he was doing,” Barkley said. “I don’t think he should have said anything about [retirement] and I was very disappointed… the first thing you said to me was ‘Man, how great is The Joker’, I’m like ‘Yeah man, if y’all quit talking about LeBron retiring, [we could] talk about how great The Joker is!’” Furthermore, Barkley is adamant that LeBron will return. “Hell no LeBron ain’t going to retire,” Barkley exclaimed.

He continued, “I love LeBron, but he knew what he was doing. He knew what the hell he was doing. First of all, he going to make $50 million a year the next two years. He ain’t walking away from $100 million.” LeBron is about to start a two-year extension with Los Angeles which will pay him $46.9 million next season and $50.65 million in 2024/25 if he picks up his player option. Furthermore, it’s not the first time Barkley has expressed frustration about the Lakers this week. Over claims that the Nuggets didn’t get enough coverage compared to the swept Lakers, Barkley said he went as far as turning off his TV because of the pro-Lakers bias. Unfortunately for Barkley, it’s unlikely that the LeBron speculation will go away until the future Hall of Famer makes his decision either way.

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Scottie Pippen Crowns LeBron James The GOAT, Calls Michael Jordan “Horrible Player”

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Scottie Pippen slammed Michael Jordan as a “horrible player” during a new interview on Stacey King’s Gimme The Hot Sauce podcast. He also labeled LeBron James the greatest statistical player of all time.

“LeBron will be the greatest statistical guy to ever play the game of basketball,” Pippen said. “And there’s no comparison to him. None. So does that make him the greatest player to ever play the game?”

Read More: Larsa Pippen And Marcus Jordan Put PDA On Full Display In Cozy Miami Boat Date

Michael Jordan & Scottie Pippen

Michael Jordan (L) and Scottie Pippen (R) of the Chicago Bulls talk during the final minutes of their game 22 May in the NBA Eastern Conference finals aainst the Miami Heat at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The Bulls won the game 75-68 to lead the series 2-0. AFP PHOTO/VINCENT LAFORET (Photo by VINCENT LAFORET / AFP) (Photo credit should read VINCENT LAFORET/AFP via Getty Images)

While Pippen didn’t directly name his pick for the overall greatest player of all time, it certainly isn’t Michael Jordan. From there, he explained why he believes Jordan to be so overrated. “I’ll leave that up for debate, because I don’t believe there’s a great player because our game’s a team game, and one player can’t do it,” Pippen said. “I saw Jordan play before I came to play with the Bulls. You guys saw him play. He was a horrible player. He was horrible to play with. He was all one-on-one, he’s shooting bad shots, and all of a sudden we become a team and we start winning and everybody forgot who he was.”

In addition to Pippen and Jordan being teammates throughout the 1990s, Jordan’s son, Marcus, is now dating Pippen’s ex-wife, Larsa. Pippena and Larsa finalized their divorce back in 2021.

Read More: Larsa Pippen Breaks Her Silence On Marcus Jordan Fling

Scottie Pippen On LeBron James Vs. Michael Jordan

The comments from Pippen come after LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers suffered a loss in the Western Conference Finals to the Denver Nuggets. Following the last game of the series, James admitted he’ll consider retirement this offseason.

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Source Claims LeBron Will Be Back Next Season

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After being swept in the Western Conference Finals, LeBron was very open about contemplating retirement this offseason. That decision could determine the direction of the Lakers’ offseason. LeBron is about to start a two-year extension with Los Angeles which will pay him $46.9 million next season and $50.65 million in 2024/25 if he picks up his player option.

No one is quite sure what LeBron will do. He looked all of his 38 years at several points during the playoffs. Furthermore, this season marked the first of LeBron’s career where he did not receive at least one MVP vote. However, LeBron has also expressed the desire to play at least one season alongside his son Bronny. James’ eldest son will play just 1.7 miles from Crypto.com as he spends a year at USC. Despite this speculation, sources are starting to talk about which way LeBron is leaning.

Close Source Says LeBron Stays

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 22: LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers sits on the bench prior to game four of the Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena on May 22, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

A source “close to James” has told ESPN that he believes that LeBron star will be back next season and fulfill his contract. While his payout is astronomical, that would allow the Lakers to attempt to run it back next season. “I would say this resoundingly clear: Our intentions are to keep our core of young guys together,” Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka said Tuesday.

Furthermore, the Lakers would likely prefer to keep LeBron, as it would be one less contract they would have to worry about. The Lakers will already be pursuing an extension with Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and DeAngelo Russell. Furthermore, they have longer-term options to worry about, such as extensions for the likes of Anthony Davis and Jarred Vanderbilt. However, we won’t know for a while what LeBron plans to do next year. He was most recently spotted at the high school graduation of his son Bronny. What do you think LeBron will do? Let us know in the comments.

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LeBron James Attends Son Bronny’s Graduation

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Everyone is waiting to see Bronny James’ next move in action. Earlier this month, Bronny announced that he would be committing to USC to play at least a year of college ball. Furthermore, Bronny is expected to declare for the NBA draft after his freshman year and could be as high as a top 10 draft pick. However, his NBA future could be linked to his father’s, at least for his rookie contract.

However, before he does all that, he needs to officially leave high school. Bronny has been a student at Sierra Canyon High School, where he developed into a highly sought-after college prospect. After all, LeBron James’ son still needs to show that he can hoop. But all of that was forgotten as Bronny officially graduated on Thursday.

LeBron Attends Son’s Graduation

LeBron’s still-active, for now, NBA career has meant that he has to miss some of his son’s big moments. Recently, LeBron was unable to attend Bronny signing his Letter of Intent. This was because he was in Denver for the Western Conference Finals. However, now out of the playoffs, LeBron is free to revel in his son’s success. LeBron and his wife Samantha were sat in the front row as Bronny and the rest of the Class of 2023 crossed the football field at the elite Chatsworth high school. It presumably took LeBron back to his own graduation in Ohio, just months before he became the first overall pick of the 2003 NBA Draft.

Now begins a summer of expectations and uncertainty for the James family. For Bronny, he begins his preparation to join Andy Enfield’s team at the Galen Center. The hope is that Bronny as well as elite prospect Isaiah Collier can turn the team’s fortunes. The Trojans have not reached the first Final Four since 1954. Meanwhile, LeBron will decide his future. He has openly contemplated retirement after his playoff exit. However, he has also acknowledged his desire to play alongside Bronny before stepping away from the league. However, for now, the James family is celebrating the most recent success of their eldest son.

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Kwame Brown Calls LeBron A “Stat Sheet Stuffer”

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The Lakers were swept out of the NBA playoffs earlier this week as the Denver Nuggets reached their first-ever NBA Finals. The loss hit Lakers star LeBron James especially hard, with the twenty-year veteran admitting that he would be at least contemplating retirement this offseason.

However, LeBron has caught some heat for his playoff performances this year. This included 19 consecutive missed threes attempted in the fourth quarter of games. Furthermore, LeBron had a number of opportunities to send Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals to overtime. However, he failed to break past a stifling Nuggets defensive effort. This has led to some fierce criticism from some unusual sources.

Kwame Brown Blasts LeBron

A video of retired NBA player Kwame Brown blasting LeBron has gone viral. “I have never seen a guy of your caliber, supposed caliber, you don’t even get a shot off?” Brown says at one point in his seven-minute rant. “You’re probably the best scorer in the game, you got all these points. But you were looking for a bailout, again.” At another point in the video, Brown argues that “Throughout history, the little nerds are gonna look up your statline and say ‘He’s gotta be the greatest player to ever play the game’. And people who actually play are gonna know that is bullshit.”

It’s a weird claim to make in general. One muted playoffs at age 38 does not invalidate an entire career. However, what makes it weirder is who is saying it. While Kwame Brown is known for being outspoken, he doesn’t really have a leg to stand on in this fight. Drafted first overall by the Wizards in 2001, Brown averaged 6.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists over a 12-year career. Other players drafted after Brown in the 2001 draft include Tyson Chandler, Pau Gasol, and Tony Parker. By comparison, LeBron averaged 27.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 6.9 assists over the first 12 years of his career. Brown also made the playoffs a total of four times in his NBA career, putting up 8.7 points and 5.8 rebounds across 18 appearances. So, while he is entitled to his opinion, Brown might want to sit this one out.

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Los Angeles Lakers Hope LeBron James Doesn’t Retire

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The Lakers’ season came to an abrupt end on Monday night, in a 113-111 loss that sent the Denver Nuggets to their first-ever NBA Finals. In the dying seconds of the game, LeBron had two attempts to tie the game and send it to overtime but missed both. In a muted press conference, LeBron was broached with an almost expected question – would he be back next season?

“We’ll see what happens going forward,” LeBron said. “I don’t know. I don’t know. I’ve got a lot to think about, to be honest. Just for me personally going forward with the game of basketball, I’ve got a lot to think about. Appreciate it.”

Lakers Hoping To Keep LeBron Next Season

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 22: LeBron James #6 and Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers react to a Laker foul during the third quarter against the Denver Nuggets in game four of the Western Conference Finals at Crypto.com Arena on May 22, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

“We all know that [James] speaks for himself, and we’ll look forward to those conversations when the time is right,” GM Rob Pelinka said. “LeBron has given as much to the game of basketball as anyone who has ever played. When you do that, you earn a right to decide whether you’re going to give more. … Obviously, our hope would be that his career continues, but we want to give him the time to have that inflection point and support him along the way.” Elsewhere, head coach Darvin Ham weighed in as well. “Coming off a tough loss like that, the work we’ve put in this season, I think I was ready to retire after last night, too.”

“We ultimately got knocked out by a team that has great continuity,” Pelinka continued. “They’ve got a group of players that have been together for several seasons, and it shows in the way they play. We feel like we’ve got special players in the locker room that enjoy playing with each other. We know there’s more growth and improvement in that group, especially if we get a training camp together.” The GM added, “I think there’s proof in concept that this was a really good team. But we’re not going to rest on our laurels. If there’s opportunities to get even better, we’re always looking to improve. But we have a core that’s highly successful, and that’s a good starting point.”

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LeBron James Teams Up With Taco Bell In “Taco Tuesday” Fight

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Did you know that the phrase “Taco Tuesday” is actually trademarked? According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the phrase was trademarked by Taco John’s Seasoning in 1989. While this does not affect day-to-day usage, it does legally bar restaurants and other institutions from legally using the phrase.

This has now become a legal battle as Taco Bell has become determined to fight the long-standing trademark. Not only would this allow Taco Bell, the largest Mexican cuisine chain in the US, to use the phrase commercially, but it would also allow food vendors to utilize the colloquialism. Now Taco Bell has added a famous face to their cause – LeBron James.

LeBron James Wants To See “Taco Tuesday” Become Public Domain

Image courtesy of Taco Bell and Edelman (Photo Credit: Ronald Quintero)

According to a press release from Taco Bell, provided to HotNewHipHop by the PR firm Edelman, LeBron has joined the effort to revoke the trademark on “Taco Tuesdays”. His support comes from due to his love of the tradition. “A known “Taco Tuesday” enthusiast, the 4x NBA Champion is just as passionate as Taco Bell is about freeing Taco Tuesday. LeBron never misses a Taco Tuesday and can often be seen celebrating the weekly tradition with his family,” Edelman brand account supervisor Delani Marchigiani told HotNewHipHop. LeBron will also star in a new ad for Taco Bell.

Furthermore, LeBron believes in the community-building aspect of the tradition. “‘Taco Tuesday’ is a tradition that everyone should be able to celebrate. All restaurants, all families, all businesses – everybody,” said LeBron James per Taco Bell’s press release. “‘Taco Tuesdays’ create opportunities that bring people together in so many ways, and it’s a celebration that nobody should own.” As part of the effort to revoke the trademark, LeBron publicly signed Taco Bell’s change.org petition seeking the revocation of the trademark. A change.org petition carries no legal weight. However, it has often proven to be an effective tool in amplifying social issues. Furthermore, with a name like LeBron on board, there is a very real chance change could come about.

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LeBron James May Retire: Report

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LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers went through a whole lot of hardship this season. Overall, this is due to the fact that they were terrible to start off the year. Although they eventually made it to the Western Conference Finals, the team was very bad at the beginning. This was mostly due to the horrible fit of Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley. Once these two players left, the Lakers began to get a whole lot better. Unfortunately, their season came to an end last night at the hands of the Denver Nuggets.

Ultimately, the Western Conference Finals was a full four-game sweep. Although, it should be noted that this is not LeBron James’ fault. Instead, inconsistent play from Anthony Davis and some horrible shooting from the team’s role players led to catastrophe. Now, the Nuggets are on their way to their first NBA Finals in franchise history. Moreover, the Lakers are out and now, LeBron must figure out what his future in the league is. Subsequently, rumors are already being spread like wildfire.

Read More: Bronny James Jr. Reps Chrome Hearts For Senior Prom

Is This It For LeBron James?

According to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, it is already being said that LeBron is contemplating retirement. During his postgame press conference on Monday night, LeBron did say he had a lot to think about. However, he didn’t explicitly say that retirement was on the table. “We’ll see what happens going forward,” LeBron said. “I don’t know. I don’t know. I’ve got a lot to think about, to be honest. Just for me personally going forward with the game of basketball, I’ve got a lot to think about. Appreciate it.”

Some fans are theorizing that he will take a year off and heal his body before coming back to play with Bronny. Although this makes for good narrative building, it may not be rooted in reality right now. Only time will tell what LeBron James is going to decide. Let us know what you think he should do, in the comments section below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for all of the latest news and updates from around the sports world.

Read More: Paul George & DeMar DeRozan Decide If Bronny Is Better Than Some Players In The NBA

Bronny James Jr. Reps Chrome Hearts For Senior Prom

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Bronny James is currently the most talked-about prospect in the entire United States as it pertains to basketball. Overall, it is easy to see why this is the case. He is the son of LeBron James who has made it his mission to play with Bronny. Moreover, Bronny is a very good player who can command both sides of the floor. Additionally, he is going to get to play at USC this year. While he may not be their star player, he is going to learn a lot about the game of basketball. Not to mention, numerous NBA teams will be looking at hime when it comes time for the draft.

That said, Bronny James is still very much a high-schooler right now. His time at Sierra Canyon is coming to an end, and nothing signals that more than prom. Overall, prom is a tradition at every single high school. Although not everyone enjoys prom, it is one of those things that you will always remember, one way or another. For Bronny James, it was certainly memorable as he had his entire family hyping him up.

Read More: LeBron James Showers Bronny In Praise After USC Commitment

Bronny James Tries Out A New Outfit

Above, you can see a plethora of professional pictures that were taken prior to the event. Of course, the pictures were shared by none other than LeBron James. However, he certainly had a reason to be proud as Bronny sported a very fashionable outfit. As you can see, the jacket and the pants were Chrome Hearts. “Chrome Hearts Big Steppa VIBEZ!!!” LeBron wrote. “P.S. The best Prom outfit of ALL-TIME!! Insane!!!” While some may disagree with that sentiment, you are never going to take this away from LeBron James.

In the past, Bronny James has been the subject of Twitter discourse over who he has taken to previous proms. However, it does not seem to affect the young basketball star. He continues to do his thing, and he will not let anyone diminish his shine. Let us know what you think of this Chrome Hearts outfit, in the comments section below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for more news and updates from around the sports world.

Read More: Bronny James Links Up With Yeat