Laguna Niguel-based company Power Balance recently admitted to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission that their wildly popular performance bracelets don't actually have any science infused in them.

Which… we could have told the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission a long time ago. (Meanwhile, Insane Clown Posse is like, must be magic!)

That didn't stop L.A. basketball idols Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom from strapping on their trusty “natural energy field” jewelry at last night's game against the Pistons. Bryant could be seen with the usual white silicon model on his right hand, and Odom one-upped the team's top shooter with two bracelets, of the black and yellow varieties.

Power Balance sells the alleged performance enhancers for $30 a pop — and the classy sterling-silver pendant version goes for $80. But bringing our A game is priceless, right?

CNBC just named the Power Balance bracelet its Sports Product of the Year. And that's “cuz it works,” Tweets Shaquille O'Neal, PB spokesman, this morning:

Credit: Twitter

Credit: Twitter

Now, Australian watchdogs have convinced the company to say, “We admit that there is no credible scientific evidence that supports our claims” and agree to give refunds to unsatisfied customers.

PB's most recent statement muddies all that clarity with some user-based science — you know, the kind that comes from the heart:

“The belief of thousands of consumers and athletes who wear our products, are not wrong, and neither are the results of a preliminary study recently released to us which was conducted on the product's performance variables and found that the product did in fact provide a “statistically significant” result on the wearer's performance.”

According to the Associated Press, Power Balance reports making over $35 million in 2010 sales.

“It's just like a pair of lucky socks,” a sports trainer told AP. “It's a lucky charm, and if you believe in it, then it's excellent.”

A sample testimonial from the Power Balance website:

Ekolu Kalama, stand-up paddleboarder, says: “Power Balance gives me an edge physically, it keeps me centered and for me center and balance are the most important thing. I started using Power Balance after I saw my wife have the best sesh of her life with the stickers on her board, she sold me.”

The company's most famous spokesman is O'Neal, who swears by the little holographic wonders. “You know me — I'm one of those guys that say, 'This is a gimmick,'” he says in his promo video. But Power Balance is the real thing:

What do you think: Are you buying the hype?

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.