Rumors

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James will soon be seen on toy shelves around the country -- in doll form. On Wednesday, Barbie manufacturer Mattel announced that it has teamed up with the LeBron James Family Foundation to give the four-time NBA champion his own toy model. James is the first athlete to have his own rendition of a Ken doll.

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In 1999, the NBA and Mattel teamed up to sell a one-time, leaguewide collab featuring Black and white Barbies outfitted in each franchise's authentic uniform and warmup top. The dolls also came with white high-tops, knee braces, an official NBA basketball the size of a marble and a large hairbrush that, proportionately, was the size of a cello. Barbie's sartorial timing on the collab was rather impeccable, since nearly half the teams during this NBA era incorporated some kind of funky variation of purple or teal in their outfits, starting with Detroit's horrifically awesome teal horsehead jerseys. That memorable Pistons logo and the other 28 NBA team logos were featured on the back of every NBA Barbie doll box near a special 888 number for more info on the dolls and the phrase: Own all 29 NBA Barbie dolls and have the coolest collection in the world!

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Theories abound, of course, in the collectible's world about the lost Mavs Barbies. Marilyn, for one, has begun to wonder if the dolls ever existed in the first place and Mattel is just covering up a colossal Barbie blunder. Because, while the white Mavs Barbies are extremely scarce, there is at least proof of their existence floating around the internet. But when it comes to the Black Dallas Mavs Barbie, not a single one of the nearly 50 Barbie collectors from around the globe contacted by ESPN could ever recall laying eyes on one in person. "The NBA Barbies are the most beautiful collection I've ever seen," says Wade Lewis, a collector from the Bronx, New York, whose been on the hunt since 1999. "I've got all of 'em, except for one. You know which one. Dallas Mavericks Barbie. That thing is a true needle in a haystack."

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Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nike have teamed up with Uno for a fun new collection in celebration of the beloved game’s 50th anniversary. The collaboration features a line of shoes and apparel as well as a custom Uno card deck. The special Giannis-branded deck incorporated a new rule in which players can “force a turnover” to steal an extra discarded card. Fans will be able to cop the deck through Mattel Creations and NTWRK on Nov. 11.

footwearnews.com

Toys were easy enough. Bonner bought stock in Mattel for E.V.’s E-Trade custodial account. Flowers were a trickier industry to pin down, but a quick search turned up 1-800-Flowers, which is publicly traded and has done quite well for her portfolio. Its shares are up 30% over the last 12 months and 57.3% since E.V. invested about two years ago, he said. “That’s a pretty good return on investment,” said Bonner, who retired from the NBA in 2017 and now works as a sports analyst on the San Antonio Spurs TV Broadcast.

CNBC