Gatorade Apologizes After Joking About Lebron James' Cramps

Gatorade is issuing a formal apology after joining in to poke fun of Lebron James' issues with cramping that took him out of Game 1 of the NBA Finals Thursday.

The Miami Heat's 110-95 loss to the San Antonio Spurs came about after both teams were forced to play without air conditioning in an arena that exceeded 90 degrees, according to Sports Illustrated reports. When the conditions led to serious cramping in James' legs, the 29-year-old Heat forward was forced to exit the court with four minutes left in the fourth quarter.

James' team ending up losing while he became the butt of numerous jokes on social media. While the basketball star is endorsed by Powerade, the sports drink Gatorade had a few comments to make in jest about James.

"Hey @Gatorade where's all your sports science magic for preventing cramps in your no. 1 client @KingJames," one person questioned Gatorade, despite the fact that he endorses a different sports drink.

Gatorade fired back by tweeting, "The person cramping wasn't our client. Our athletes can take the heat."

In another post, the popular sports drink tweeted, "we were waiting on the sidelines, but he prefers to drink something else."

While the tweets have since been removed by the @Gatorade page, the sports brand issued a public apology for the messages.

"Our apologies for our response to fans' tweets during last night's Heat vs. Spurs game," Gatorade said in a statement. "We got caught up in the heat of the battle. As a longtime partner of the Miami Heat, we support the entire team."

James has seemed to take the varied jesting in stride, and labeled himself a target in the sports world.

"I know I'm the easiest target that we have in sports, I'm aware of it," James told ESPN's Michael Wilbon on Friday. "I really am. I believe it."