Gatorade apologizes for tweets criticizing LeBron James

Gatorade apologized Friday for the brain cramp of an unnamed employee who sent out some tweets aimed at LeBron James.

The Miami Heat star had to come out of Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night after suffering from leg cramps brought on by the extreme heat caused by the failed air conditioning in the AT&T Center in San Antonio. James was courted by Gatorade several years ago in the hopes of signing him to a sponsorship deal, but James signed with Powerade instead.

After James left the game, someone in control of the main Gatorade Twitter account tweeted: “We were waiting on the sidelines, but he prefers to drink something else.”

The Gatorade account then tweeted, in response to a tweet directed to the Gatorade account as to why its drink wasn’t helping James recover:

“The person cramping wasn’t our client. Our athletes can take the heat.”

“Our apologies for our response to fans’ tweets during [Thursday] night’s Heat vs. Spurs game,” Gatorade said in a release. “We got caught up in the heat of the battle. As a longtime partner of the Miami Heat, we support the entire team.”

The Spurs won the game 110-95, pulling away in the final 3:59 after James left the game for good.