George Gervin is undeniably a legend in the sport of basketball. Having played in both the ABA and NBA, he sits high on many all-time lists. Most importantly, he is #45 overall in scoring in NBA history. Additionally, he is #39 in field goals made having only played 10 seasons in the NBA. Known also as "Iceman," Gervin was celebrated as an incredibly clutch player and scoring pioneer. Because of that, he is still a household name decades later.
While hooping, Gervin typically wore high-top shoes, which were widely popular for basketball in the late 1970s to late 1980s. Because of this, Polo Ralph Lauren decided to use Gervin's name for a recent sneaker they released. The "Gervin Mid," a shoe made of leather and suede, clearly resembles a style of shoe players in Gervin's era would rock on the court. Last April, Gervin's wife Joyce received a text congratulating her husband for his new shoe deal. But, this left the family confused. George was never contacted or compensated for this opportunity.
George Gervin Fights Back
On Wednesday (Feb. 15), Gervin decided to take action. His legal team filed a lawsuit against Ralph Lauren in a Manhattan federal court. The suit stated that RL used his name and likeness without his permission for the line of basketball sneakers. More specifically, Gervin's team claims that they "released a line of retro-styles 1970’s hightop basketball sneakers called the ‘Gervin Mid’ to profit off the back of Mr. Gervin’s commercially valuable identity, without once seeking his consent or authorization to use Mr. Gervin’s name or likeness or offer to compensate him for the use of his valuable name.”
Gervin is seeking $2 million in damages for this offense. Supporting its case, the suit also points to the shoes Gervin wore during his career. “There can be no doubt, therefore, given the unique history of Mr. Gervin’s association with the high-top shoe and the Nike’s Blazer’s popularity, that Ralph Lauren was exploiting Mr. Gervin’s unique and commercially valuable identity, name, and likeness to sell its products,” it reads. In the complaint, Gervin's team states the excuse Ralph Lauren gave them. RL claims one of their French shoe designers named the shoe without any knowledge of who Gervin was. But that is obviously hard to believe. Either way, Ralph Lauren has since changed the name of the shoe to the "Court Vulc Mid-Top." It's currently unclear how well Gervin or Ralph Lauren will fare in court. But, public opinion will likely lean the Iceman's way.
