Courtney Cronin
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ESPN Staff Writer Courtney Cronin joined ESPN in 2017, originally covering the Minnesota Vikings before switching to the Chicago Bears in 2022. Courtney is a frequent panelist on Around the Horn and host of Best Week Ever and GameNight on ESPN Radio. She also co-hosts The Chicago Bears Podcast on ESPN 1000. She previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News as a multimedia sports journalist.
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Michael Rothstein
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ESPN Staff Writer Michael Rothstein, based in Atlanta, is a reporter on ESPN’s investigative and enterprise team. You can follow him via Twitter @MikeRothstein.
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Mar 26, 2026, 10:10 PM ET
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams‘ attempt to trademark the moniker “Iceman” is facing scrutiny from a legendary NBA player who shares the same nickname.
George Gervin, the Hall of Famer and four-time NBA scoring champion, told ESPN that he was “caught off guard” when he learned that Williams had attempted to trademark “Iceman,” the nickname that Williams earned during the 2025 season for his late-game heroics that culminated with the Bears winning their first playoff game in 15 years.
“I’ve been the Iceman for 40 something years,” Gervin said. “I never thought anybody would try to trademark it. He kind of knocked me out the box.”
On March 16, Caleb Williams Holding, Inc. filed four trademark applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office related to the “Iceman” nickname. According to the trademark application, goods and services related to the name include athletic sporting goods and equipment, water bottles, tee shirts, sweatshirts, jerseys, hats, eyewear and downloadable posters and digital trading cards.
On March 20, Gervin Interests LLC filed two trademark applications for “Iceman” and “Iceman 44,” the latter of which references the jersey number that Gervin wore throughout his NBA career. In 1987, the San Antonio Spurs retired Gervin’s number.
One of the biggest questions, according to trademark attorney Josh Gerben of Gerben IP, is how trademark rights are viewed. Gerben said Gervin could claim that even though he didn’t file the trademark, he was using it before Williams even though Williams filed it first.
But since Williams filed his application first, the USPTO could accept Williams’ application and refuse Gervin’s.
A decision on the matter is likely several months away.
If Williams’ application is accepted, Gerben said, “George will have a 30-day period in which he can file a formal opposition to Caleb’s applications and say they shouldn’t be registered because I was using these trademarks long ago and the public associates the name with me.”
Barisano told ESPN that he and Gervin will plan to file an opposition with the USPTO if Williams’ trademark application is approved and theirs is not. Gervin’s publicist of 42 years also said that they will consider legal action in the future.
Gerben said neither party can file an opposition until a decision is made but they could talk and come to an agreement at any time.
There is one other wrinkle, too. UFC legend Chuck Liddell filed for a trademark in 2023 for “Chuck ‘The Iceman’ Liddell.” Gerben said the USPTO could decide that mark is similar to both Williams’ and Gervin’s.
“The USPTO could easily, easily refuse Caleb Williams’ application and George Gervin’s application,” Gerben said. “Because of Chuck’s pending applications waiting there first.”
Messages left with Liddell and his trademark attorneys were not immediately returned to ESPN.
Gerben said it was “a little unusual” for three prominent athletes to call themselves “the Iceman.”
The Spurs offered their support for Gervin on the team’s X account, posting a graphic of Gervin sitting on a throne of ice blocks with the caption, “there’s only one Iceman.”
Reached by phone on Thursday, Gervin said he felt forced to file a trademark application after learning that Williams had already done so four days prior. Gervin and Jerald Barisano, the president and CEO of Gervin Global Management, said they had attempted to trademark “Iceman” in 2023 when the attorney that they hired to file with the USPTO office died of a heart attack.
While Gervin said he has not spoken with Williams or any members of Williams’ marketing team, he said he would like a chance to work something out between the two parties.
“I’m quite sure me and him going to get a chance to talk,” Gervin said. “I can kind of bet on that. We’re both men. I’m an older man. He’s a younger man. Me doing a little research on him, what I found out about him, he respects older athletes.
“I hate it the most because, man, he’s a special young guy getting ready to come up. His potential is great and he does have ice in his veins. But that name is already taken up.”
Messages left with Williams’ marketing team and trademark attorneys were not immediately returned Thursday evening.
“We’re not happy and we’ll let it play out, but we’re not running away from this guy,” Barisano said. “We’re going to fight him to tooth and nail to the end.”
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