To his laundry list of achievements โ self-made billionaire, four-time NBA champion, Olympic gold medallist, occasional actor โ LeBron James can now add โCreative Partner of Maison Hennessy.โ
Despite a range of legendary endorsements across tech, luxury watches, and apparel (including his historic $87 million rookie deal with Nike), King James has remained relatively discerning in the wine & spirits brands he chooses to associate with.
Today, however, heโs announcing the release of a one-off โHennessy Limited Editions by LeBron James,โ consisting of VS and VSOP bottles plus packaging โthat nod to LeBronโs impact on and off the court.โ
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This partnership with Franceโs most iconic and commercially successful Cognac distiller is reported to have been in the pipeline for some time now. In a prepared statement, James described himself as โan admirer of Hennessy and its iconic brand.โ
โI was fortunate enough to visit the Maisonโฆ and seeing the care and craftsmanship that go into creating each bottle was pretty incredible,โ he said. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar also cited Hennessyโs โcommitment to basketball and how it celebrates the sportโs influence on and off courtโ as a factor in his decision to work on a joint release.
As you can see from the official images above, Jamesโ contribution to these new Hennessy editions is primarily a stylistic one.
Both the VS and VSOP bottlings are decorated with his illustrated portrait, cast in orange and purple. Additionally, the Bras Armรฉ (Hennessyโs iconic fist & hatchet logo since 1856) has been reimagined: ringed, in this case, with Jamesโ trademark crown.
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As for the Cognac itself?
The good news for eaux de vie enthusiasts is that itโs exactly the VS and VSOP bottlings we all know and enjoy. The latter โ in fact invented by Hennessy in 1817 โ is tailormade for neat consumption, while VS โcomplements a wide range of [cocktail] serves.โ
According to brand representatives, LeBron James enjoys VS in the brandโs signature Henny-rita. But equally, weโd be surprised if the all-time-great playmaker didnโt also enjoy it shaken into a classic Sidecar.
