Lebron James' New Deal
Lebron James, Miami Heat small forward, is strengthening his business portfolio in the NBA offseason as partial owner of “Sheets Energy Strips”.
Sheets is a thin dissolving strip that can be placed on the tongue to supply a burst of energy, according to the brand’s website. The strip does not need to be taken with any water or fluid and contains no sugar or calories, 50 mg of caffeine, Biotin, vitamins B5, B6 and B12.
James and his business partner Maverick Carter teamed up with Purebrands CEO Warren Struhl to establish Sheets. Carter told the Miami Herald that James would have to mix a variety of B vitamins with raw caffeine before the Sheets were developed.
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Since then, the Miami Heat small forward takes Sheets before his game and during half-time. More than just endorsing and taking partial ownership of the brand, James’ manager said he actually uses it.
“LeBron is always looking for a simple and organic pick me up,” Carter said. “This product is natural and organic, so it fits his lifestyle. It’s authentic for what we do.”
Struhl, founder of PaperDirect and investor in over 30 companies, said the energy industry looks promising for himself and athletes like James.
“The energy category is hot,” Struhl said, according to The Miami Herald. “We were looking at all kinds of ways to reinvent energy. We don’t want to do anything that had been done before. We were looking for a better mousetrap.”
Although Stuhl described the industry as promising for himself and the renowned NBA star, some feel that Lebron James promoting the brand may be detrimental to youth consumers. Dr. Steven E. Lipshultz, professor at the University of Miami and author of a study that cited the dangers of energy drink consumption in children disagrees with James’ endorsement of Sheets.
“Kids want to emulate their favorite athletes,” Lipshultz told The Miami Herald. “It’s not hard for a child to put a whole box in his mouth. It’s a lot harder to drink three or four energy drinks, plus then you’re going to end up going to bathroom. The smaller you are, the more danger there is.”
However, Stuhl insists that Sheets is revolutionizing the way that children take supplements.
“They’re easier to take for kids and older people,” Stuhl said. “For everyone, it’s just a delivery system that makes sense.”
Aside from James, New York Knicks’ center Amar’e Stoudemire, tennis star Serena Williams and NFL star Ray Rice are all athletes who have decided to become partial owners of the business.
