Well, I guess this is kind of a status symbol. A sick, twisted, perverse status symbol but a symbol none-the-less.
A heroin dealer in the Philadelphia area has been selling his product branded as “LeBron James” complete with a silhouette of LeBron dunking on the bag, reports the Philadelphia Daily News (hat tip to SLAM).
It should go without saying that LeBron in no way is involved or endorsed this use of his name and likeness.Upper Darby police said that they busted a major heroin dealer from Philadelphia on Thursday who had 140 packets of the deadly drug - all of which were stamped with the silhouette of a basketball player and the name “LeBron James.”
“I don’t think LeBron James would be too happy with this drug-dealer dude using his name on these street bags,” said Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood.
According to the report — this is not something we have any experience with — it is common for dealers to stamp their bags and name the drug, although it is usually something simple like “horse” or a play on a drug name itself.
I suppose naming the product after the healthy LeBron James makes more marketing sense than naming it River Phoenix or Sid Vicious or any of the thousands of others that have died from the drug.