In 2022, high school basketball player Bronny James signed an NIL deal with Beats by Dre, following the footsteps of his dad, LeBron James, who was the first athlete to sign with the brand back in 2008. Beats approached us with creating a film that introduced Bronny as part of the Beats roster, highlighting their flagship products, Beats Fit Pro and Beats Studio Buds.

From his countless career highlights, to his playful antics on social media and film and everything in between, we've witnessed LeBron James take on countless roles over his last 20 years in the NBA but the one we've never seen explored in the public eye is what he's like as a father. Beats’ holiday campaign was the perfect opportunity to go behind the curtain and witness his relationship with his oldest son Bronny, in a way we've never seen before. The film, "King of the Court,” saw two basketball phenoms pit themselves against each other in a backyard battle. With music being such an integral part of Beats' identity, we contrasted a smooth, balletic track of Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” for LeBron, who loves classical music, along with a new rap track from Bronny's favorite artist, Sofaygo in a showdown between father and son - all on their Beats headphones.

When we talk about Beats, it all begins with one name- LeBron. Since Beats partnered with him back in 2008, he’s been an inseparable part of the brand’s identity. Over a decade later, in a full circle moment, it was time to launch basketball's new big deal and introduce LeBron’s oldest son, Bronny James, to Beats. With the brand’s legacy athlete and his son as Beats’ first NIL sign, we wanted to create a piece that not only showed two generations of basketball greatness, but also bridge the gap between Beats past present and future. The film aimed to show the more intimate side of the James family relationship, targeting the millennials that grew up with LeBron, while introducing the Gen Z audience to the next generation of basketball and Beats with Bronny – all while highlighting Beats' flagship products ahead of the holiday season.

The :90 spot debuted on broadcast during the season opener game for the Lakers, also marking another milestone – the beginning of LeBron's 20th year in the league. “King of the Court” was launched on social media shortly thereafter via Beats-owned channels (Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook), as well as LeBron and Bronny’s channels and even supported through partners like the Sofaygo (the artist of Bronny’s track) and Alexis Ffrench (who composed the rendition of “Four Seasons” for LeBron). Over the course of the next few weeks, we released supporting assets to social across all accounts including static talent imagery with product and individual talent cut down videos to help sustain the conversation around Beats well into the holiday season.

The film immediately sparked buzz across platforms with users and unpaid celebrities like DJ Khaled chiming in on LeBron and Bronny’s shared athletic prowess. “King of the Court” received over 17 million views and 204+ million impressions, boosting holiday sales and helping to cement Bronny James as an athlete who’s come into his own. Our campaign created an inside look at one of basketball's biggest duos, while also showing our audience something relatable and fun for the holiday season As Bronny joins the ranks of Beats talent over the years, our end line “The Legacy Continues” was an important place to mark a passing of the torch – both for the brand as well as LeBron himself.