LeBron James is Samsung’s guy. But when it’s time to give gifts to his teammates, the basketball superstar opts for Apple products.
Cleveland.com reported that LeBron gave each of his Cavs teammates an Apple Watch toward the end of a meeting last week he organized in preparation for the NBA Finals.
Chris Haynes described how the meeting at the team’s Four Seasons hotel in San Francisco started serious, with LeBron talking about battling through adversity and staying together as a team.
But then the four-time MVP lightened the mood as he brought in food, played some tunes, and had barbers come in to give the players an NBA Finals trim.
LeBron also surprised his teammates with an Apple Watch. As a long-time Samsung celebrity representative who has appeared in numerous Samsung ads, LeBron could have opted for the Galaxy Gear. Instead he went with the arch rival’s device.
LeBron is apparently a generous teammate, with J.R. Smith noting that he’s given away sneakers, watches, hoodies, book-bags, and Beats headphones.
That last one — Beats, now owned by Apple — is also an interesting tech choice given James’ sponsorship with Samsung. But James has rocked the Dr. Dre-designed headphones since the beginning, becoming a small equity owner during the company’s early years. He also just appeared in a new Beats ad.
A representative for LeBron told CNET that he also gifted teammates with a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, and that the Apple Watches were a gift from Beats.
Regardless, you got to love LeBron dolling out the latest tech gadgets to his team. He’s making it happen on the court, too, averaging 41.5 points, 12 rebounds, and 8.5 assists through two games of the NBA Finals.
The series with Golden State is tied 1-1. Game 3 is Tuesday night in Cleveland — cable subscribers can stream it at WatchESPN, which just set a streaming NBA record on Sunday.
