When LeBron James uttered the words “I’m going to take my talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat” on July 8, 2010, it sent shockwaves around the sports world. The television program, marketed as “The Decision,” became a massive inflection point in James’ career, as he drew significant ire for leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to create a Big 3 alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. James’ “Decision” is without a doubt one of the biggest moments in sports history in at least the last 25 years, and on Oct. 7, he’ll apparently be making another decision.
James shared a nine-second video on social media Monday that showed him walking up to an empty seat to sit across from an unidentified person already seated. The whole aesthetic of the video is giving 2010 “The Decision” vibes, right down to the fact that he’s wearing a very similar shirt to the one he wore when he made the announcement that he was leaving the Cavaliers. The four-time champion posted the video with the caption, “The decision of all decisions. October 7th. 12pm EST. #TheSecondDecision.”
Naturally, everyone’s thinking about the possibility of the all-time leading scorer in NBA history announcing his retirement. It certainly has all the dramatic build up that one would expect from James, but perhaps it’s something else entirely. Ahead of the anticipated news, let’s look at three things James could possibly be announcing on Oct. 7.
Imminent retirement
The news that everyone is waiting for. James has kept it pretty close to the vest on when he plans to retire, and while he’s probably asked about it every day, the face of the NBA hasn’t given any significant insight on the matter. He did say at media day that he isn’t waiting on his youngest son, Bryce James, to join the league, which unsurprisingly puts his retirement within the window of the next four years. He’s also made cheeky comments about possibly not being at media day next season, hinting this could really be the last dance.
Announcing his retirement with something marketed as “The Second Decision” would be a full circle moment for James, but announcing it on social media feels like it doesn’t match the gravity of the news. It’s certainly marketed as something that could be a massive announcement, but it lacks some of the pomp and circumstance that has come with James’ massive basketball decisions in the past. We got “The Decision” in 2010, and when James decided to head back to Cleveland in 2014, the announcement came in the form of a stylized Sports Illustrated cover with the words “I’m coming home” splashed across the page. He also wrote an open letter on why he wanted to rejoin the Cavaliers after winning two titles in Miami. James’ decision to join the Lakers in 2018 wasn’t as flashy, but it was a call back to when Michael Jordan announced his return to the NBA in the form of a press release from his agency.
There’s a small chance James could be using tomorrow’s announcement to tell the entire world that the 2025-26 season will be his last, but it just doesn’t feel like this is the way that news would be delivered. Having it happen in the middle of the day with no big buildup, no television special or at the very least a podcast episode feels too anticlimactic.
A clever (or not so clever) advertisement
OK so let’s assess why the news would be dropping on Oct. 7. Tuesday marks the two-week mark before the start of the regular season. It’s also Amazon Prime Day, tied to a company which James has done advertisements for in the past, and — perhaps most importantly — it’s National Taco Day. Let’s break down why this could be an ad for each event.
NBA advertisement: James is about to embark on a record-breaking 23rd season in the league, a feat we may not see again. It’s the league’s 80th year of existence, a significant milestone that should certainly necessitate some sort of celebration of important touchstones throughout the NBA’s history. So maybe this is one big advertisement for the NBA to drum up attention for the 80th season. Who better to do that than James, who has been at the center of some of the league’s biggest and most memorable moments?
Amazon: On June 14, James posted an ad on social media that played on the fact that he could be retiring soon. The teaser commercial is James fielding questions at a press conference, with someone asking, “are the retirement rumors true? If so, what’s next?” As James prepares to answer the question, the video cuts to black. The caption attached is, “I’ve been asking myself the same question…” The full-length version of that ad was actually a promotion for Amazon Prime Day, and coincidentally Prime Day is happening again on Oct. 7 when James is set to make an announcement. This could just be the latest installment in a series of ads with the company.
Taco Tuesday: You might laugh, but James’ affinity for tacos is well known. He’s made multiple social media posts in the past with him yelling “Taco Tuesday” while proving that he in fact does eat tacos on Tuesdays, and even tried to trademark the phrase “Taco Tuesday” six years ago. He was denied the chance to trademark the saying, but perhaps he’s announcing some sort of taco advertisement or partnership on National Taco Day. This is certainly a stretch, but no stone will be left unturned in trying to decipher James’ vague social media post.
A new partnership
It would be a shame if all this marketing and the specific call back to the original “Decision” was wasted on the announcement of a new partnership. Imagine James saying, “I’m going to take my talents to [insert sports betting/beverage/food company here].” What a letdown. In reality, unfortunately, that could very well be what we get tomorrow. If that’s the case, then well done to whoever came up with this idea, because you’ve forced me, hundreds of other sports writers and millions of fans to rack our brains about what this announcement could be.
Many of James’ recent ads and partnerships have used his future retirement as the focal point, so this is probably no different. In reality the news will be about what new car brand James is partnering with, or promoting Amazon, so there will likely be some people letdown by the announcement. What’s funny is given the number of times his retirement announcement has been teased through advertisements, whenever James does announce he’s done, there will probably be a contingent of people who won’t believe he’s actually doing it unless there’s some big media rollout attached with it.