Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James teased a retirement announcement was coming Tuesday, which drove up ticket prices for what would have been his final game. Turns out, King James was just selling cognac.
Monday, James put up a post teasing “The decision of all decisions,” referencing his controversial TV special from 2010 when he announced on ESPN that he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat. The move did raise money for the Boys & Girls Club, but breaking the hearts of Cavs fans on live television didn’t help James’ image.
This time, James didn’t make any earth-shattering announcements. The only people he disappointed were people who bought overpriced tickets for a Utah Jazz-Los Angeles Lakers game, and fans who didn’t expect an NBA legend to do a crass publicity stunt to advertise Hennessy.
Hinting at retirement created a ticket price spike
With James about to start his 23rd NBA season and playing on a one-year contract, no one knows how long he plans to play. That’s why “#TheSecondDecision” naturally led people to assume he’d be announcing his retirement.
