Basketball superstar LeBron James has filed to trademark the "Taco Tuesday" phrase, USA Today reported.

One of James’s companies, LBJ Trademarks LLC, filed the request to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Aug. 15. The trademark would apply to downloadable audio and visual works, social media, podcasts and online entertainment services.

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A spokesman for James, who in posts on Instagram has highlighted his regular Tuesday night taco dinners with his family, said the point of the filing was not to stop others from using the term. The posts on “Taco Tuesday” have received increased attention this summer from his tens of millions of followers.

“The filing was to protect the company from potential lawsuits should we decide to pursue any ideas, nothing of which is in development,” a spokesman for James told The New York Times on Tuesday. “It has nothing to do with stopping others from using the term.”

The New York Times reported that a taco restaurant franchise based in Wyoming has a trademark for "Taco Tuesday."

The filing also has prompted taco lovers across the country to debate whether the national phrase should be trademarked at all.