National Basketball Association superstar Russell Westbrook is taking a shot off the court at simplifying funeral planning with artificial intelligence.

The famed Denver Nuggets point guard on Wednesday announced the launch of Eazewell, a startup that uses AI technology to streamline the process for coordinating funerals. Westbrook founded the venture with former Charlotte Hornets star Kemba Walker and childhood friend Donnell Beverly Jr., who serves as president of Russell Westbrook Enterprises and CEO and co-founder of Eazewell.

“My whole career, on and off the court, has been about stepping up decisively in the moments that matter most,” Westbrook wrote in a statement to CNBC. Westbrook and the Nuggets are currently facing the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Western Conference semifinals. “Eazewell is exactly that — a decisive solution to a very real problem.”

The Los Angeles-based company uses AI to curate funeral options catered to each user’s budgets and preferences. The platform assists with paperwork, budget planning, invitations and overlooked tasks such as canceling a deceased loved one’s utility bills and social media accounts. Eazewell currently has 11 employees and has already tested its beta platform with more than 1,000 families. 

Eazewell has not disclosed funding but has revenue agreements with partner services. The startup is also working on partnerships with finance and life insurance companies in the space. The service is free to use and does not have an ads component “at this stage,” a company spokesperson said.

“We’re trying to take the weight off people’s shoulders as much as we can, and make this process so much easier for people,” Walker told CNBC in a phone interview. Walker played college basketball with Beverly at the University of Connecticut.

Eazewell traces its origins to Westbrook and Beverly’s high school days, when their friend and basketball teammate Khelcey Barrs III passed away unexpectedly from an enlarged heart. Westbrook commemorates Barrs to this day by wearing a bracelet with the initials “KB3” in every NBA game he plays and on his signature Jordan Why Not Zer0.6 “Khelcey Barrs” shoe.

“It’s a reminder that life can change in an instant,” Westbrook said. “You don’t get to choose the moment, but you do get to choose how you respond.”

The experience left a lasting effect on the two friends, Beverly said, but it wasn’t until the death of Beverly’s parents that he experienced funeral planning hurdles firsthand. Beverly said the experience was “messy” and “grueling.”

Disillusioned and frustrated by the process after the death of his mother and father in 2016 and 2023, respectively, Beverly turned to his close friends to come up with the solution that became Eazewell.

“It just seems like the perfect time to really turn our shared pain into purpose,” Beverly said.

One of Eazewell’s most innovative features is its voice-activated AI agent that can gather cost quotes and call funeral homes on a user’s behalf.

Recent advancements in AI have only recently made it possible to automate tasks and create agents that can manage these jobs in an empathetic and compassionate manner, said Viviane Ghaderi, Eazewell’s tech chief and a former Amazon executive.

Stephen Stokols, an Eazewell investor and CEO of Tru Skye Ventures, an early-stage sports technology and wellness venture firm, said these “transformational” AI advancements helping bring the funeral industry out of the “dark ages” initially drew him to the project.

Walker said he hopes Eazewell can offer users the tools to navigate a topic that is not taught in school or early life.

“We know how important it is to have someone by your side to help with the details that come after a loss,” Westbrook said.

Advanced Micro Devices CEO Lisa Su said China is a “large opportunity” market for the semiconductor and artificial intelligence industry even as export controls and evolving tariff plans loom over the world’s second-largest economy.

“There should be a balance between export controls for national security as well as ensuring that we get the widest possible adoption of our technology,” Su told CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” on Wednesday. “That’s a good thing for U.S. jobs in the U.S. economy.”

She added that U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence and widespread adoption is the primary objective and a “really great position for us to be in.”

Su said there is a “balance to be played between” restricting and providing access to chips.

The comments come on the heels of the company’s fiscal first-quarter results. AMD topped earnings and expectations and issued strong guidance, but said it would see a $1.5 billion hit this year from China export controls. Last month, the company said it would incur up to $800 million in costs from shipping its MI308 products to China and other countries.

The U.S. government has cracked down on chip shipments to China in recent years, restricting the sale of more advanced AI processors to China that could be used to improve military capabilities and eat away at U.S. dominance.

President Donald Trump’s evolving tariff policies have added more turbulence to the sector in recent weeks, and many investors are combing for signs of demand pressure.

While AMD would “prefer a more certain environment,” Su said that the company is working to move manufacturing to the U.S. She added that the impact from tariffs on its portfolio is a minor blip and that the company saw “robust” sales in April.

“We’ve learned to become very agile through all of the things that have happened to the semiconductor supply chain, and we’re going to continue to watch all of these trends very carefully and make sure that we react appropriately going forward,” she said.

Other Ai chipmaking CEO have also called attention to the impact of chip restrictions in a rapidly expanding AI market. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told CNBC’s Jon Fortt on Tuesday that getting pushed out of the the country would be a “tremendous loss.”

A federal judge ruled on Monday that a class action lawsuit alleging that Burger King falsely advertised the size of its signature cheeseburger can move forward.

U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman in Florida found ‘some’ merit to the plaintiff’s argument that the fast food chain advertised its Whopper cheeseburger and other menu items to appear bigger than they are.

Nineteen customers from 13 states sued Burger King in 2022, alleging that the burgers they advertised were ‘approximately 35% larger in size, and contain more than double the meat, than the actual burger.”

The lawsuit contains side-by-side images of the bright colored, larger-than-life burger advertisements next to the droopy images taken by customers.

‘Each of our Plaintiffs purchased BKC products at Burger King stores in their home states, and each came away disappointed by the incongruity between what they received and what they expected based on BKC’s advertisements,’ the lawsuit says.

Burger King sought to dismiss the lawsuit, but Altman on Monday stated that the plaintiff’s allegations ‘go beyond mere exaggeration or puffery.’

A spokesperson for Burger King said in a Monday statement that ‘the plaintiffs’ claims are false.’

‘The flame-grilled beef patties portrayed in our advertising are the same patties used in the millions of burgers we serve to Guests across the U.S.,’ the spokesperson added.

A lawyer representing the plaintiffs, Anthony Russo, said in a Monday statement that the plaintiffs were ‘pleased’ with the judge’s ruling and ‘are ready to move forward.’

A similar lawsuit against McDonald’s and Wendy’s was dismissed in September.