Prediction markets and fantasy sports platform Underdog. Underdog has been hit with a cease-and-desist letter from the legal team representing NBA star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. And the reason is absolutely peak modern sports internet.
Apparently, Underdog created a game mocking Shai’s ability to draw fouls. Yes, a whole game, because apparently somebody at a marketing meeting said, “You know what sounds fun? Turning free throws into comedy.”
That joke has now entered the legal system.
According to reports, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s legal team wants all the board games destroyed immediately. Not hidden, not discounted. Destroyed, like these things are cursed artifacts from a basketball museum nobody asked for.
The lawyers also demanded that Underdog stop using Shai’s name, image, or likeness without permission, which makes sense legally, even if the entire situation sounds like an episode of a sports comedy show written at 3 a.m.
“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.”
Now to be fair, NBA fans have joked for years about Shai’s foul drawing abilities, but turning the jokes into a physical game apparently crossed the line.
Eric Fishman reached out via Gilgeous-Alexander to legally threaten Underdog about using SGA’s image and likeliness without his consent. Underdog making money off this by actually creating a game to sell likely put it over the top. Using his image is already risking drama, but making money off it put them further at risk.
As for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he remains one of the league’s biggest stars and one of its most frustrating players to guard. Love or hate him, defenders still cannot stop fouling him, or at least referees think they cannot.
Underdog is not backing down. Here is an exclusive statement they released to BSO.
“We’ve poked fun at Knicks and Lakers fans, the Red Sox owners, the Mets and more. We like to have some fun with whatever is in the sports fan zeitgeist.”
One thing is certain though. Somewhere in America, someone definitely kept one of those board games. And thanks to this legal drama, it probably just became a collector’s item overnight.
