LeBron James had NBA followers on edge this week after teasing a mysterious announcement he referred to as “The Second Choice.”
However as an alternative of showing retirement plans, a farewell tour, or perhaps a blockbuster transfer, the 40-year-old Lakers star merely dropped a brand new Hennessy commercial.
When James posted the teaser on X, followers immediately jumped to conclusions.
Many believed he was set to announce his remaining season, particularly with this being his report twenty third 12 months within the league. The excitement despatched ticket costs for the Lakers’ final regular-season house recreation hovering 423 p.c, leaping from $85 to $445, in line with TickPick.
😉😜👑 https://t.co/NGqV2C0dSy
— LeBron James (@KingJames) October 7, 2025
Seems, all the factor was a advertising and marketing stunt.
The industrial, full with dramatic buildup and a shirt resembling the one he wore for his unique “Choice” again in 2010, ended with James calmly saying, “I like my choice.”
It was intelligent, positive, nevertheless it left loads of followers and reporters shaking their heads.
“It was some intelligent advertising and marketing by LeBron and Hennessy — proper right down to him carrying a shirt that regarded loads just like the one he wore for the primary choice — and it labored,” One Yahoo Sports activities author put it. “Persons are speaking. We’re writing about it.”
Not everybody was amused. One other columnist in contrast the stunt to Michael Jordan’s iconic “I’m again” second from 1995, writing, “Jordan didn’t tease his followers like that, didn’t screw with their heads (and their wallets) for the sake of some low cost advert hype.”
James has but to touch upon the backlash, and no person is aware of when he really plans to retire. What is evident is that the Lakers star nonetheless is aware of learn how to dominate a information cycle, whether or not it’s on the court docket or by way of a single put up on social media.
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