Fifteen years ago, on July 8, 2010, LeBron James shocked the world with “The Decision,” a televised special where he revealed that he would be joining the Miami Heat alongside his superstar friends Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.
He would go on to win two NBA championships with the Heat, proving that his decision was a shrewd one.
So when James announced he would be making his “Second Decision” on Oct. 7, fans speculated over what the huge news could be. Could he be moving to a new team? Perhaps a long-overdue retirement?
Neither. It turned out to be an advertisement for a Hennessy collaboration.
“This fall, I’m going to be taking my talents to Hennessy V.S.O.P.,” James said. This was a nod to the original “Decision”, where James stated that he would be “taking his talents to South Beach,” otherwise known as Miami.
Many weren’t amused by the disappointing news, with one going as far as suing the 21-time all-star for allegedly tricking him into buying expensive tickets.
Lakers fan Andrew Garcia thought that LeBron James would be retiring this season, so he snatched up tickets to what he believed would be one of his last games.
When Garcia found out that James wouldn’t be retiring, he filed a small claims court lawsuit in Los Angeles County for $865.66, accusing him of fraud, deception and misrepresentation.
“Even if I lost this case, sticking up to LeBron James on principal is enough for me,” Garcia told NBC.
While it is hilariously doubtful that Garcia will get his money back, many fans aren’t appreciative of James’ flair for drama and jokes.
James knew what he was doing. Bait the fans into thinking a huge announcement is coming and use that attention to get people more invested in his ad.
A huge reason why this struck a nerve across the NBA fanbase is the disingenuousness.
People disapprove of the use of exploitative marketing that has become more prevalent in the modern era. As these types of ads gain popularity, it becomes more acceptable to promote businesses in this manner.
While it is good that players are receiving fairer compensation from paid ads, there must be a line drawn for this sort of behavior. This culture of allowing celebrities to endorse any random product brings about ethical concerns. Using a beloved sports figure’s name, image and likeness to advertise a brand of liquor to a population that includes impressionable young men is worrying.
Then again, this issue is not one solely caused by James. One cannot blame him for the fans’ poor decisions to purchase overpriced tickets.
Lakers head coach Jonathan Clay “JJ” Redick jokingly remarked, “You guys are idiots. We all knew it was an ad, right?”
Not everyone, JJ.
