LeBron James had everyone thinking he was ready to retire — until it turned out to be just another commercial. The 40-year-old Lakers star teased a big announcement earlier this week, only to reveal a new ad for his liquor brand on Tuesday.
The stunt fooled much of the NBA world and sparked criticism from Jason Whitlock, one of LeBron’s most vocal detractors. On his Fearless podcast, Whitlock called out James for what he saw as another self-centered move.
“Bronsexuals. There we go. The Bronsexuals, they try to pretend like LeBron is some genius,” Whitlock said. “That LeBron is some influencer that’s ahead of the conversation and he’s so genius on what he’s doing.” (From 3:51)
Whitlock then took it a step further.
“And I’m like, ‘No, man. I’m not sure if this dude can read, write, comprehend. I mean, he’s a really talented jock and that generally speaking undermines education.’ And this is proof of it.”
The ad was designed to echo LeBron’s famous “The Decision” TV special from 2010, when he announced he was leaving Cleveland for Miami. That move brought him two championships with the Heat before returning to the Cavs in 2015.
This time, fans expected something major — possibly a retirement reveal — especially since James is heading into his 23rd NBA season. Instead, they got a cleverly disguised promo that had social media buzzing and critics like Whitlock firing back.
“You Guys Are Idiots”: JJ Redick Reacts to LeBron James’s Troll Move
While the public scrambled to decode LeBron’s message, Lakers head coach JJ Redick made it clear he wasn’t fooled.
“You guys are idiots,” Redick said. “We all knew it was an ad, right? Nobody was freaking out.”
James remains the centerpiece for a Lakers team expected to make another strong push in the West. He’ll lead a new-look roster featuring Luka Doncic, who joined last year via a blockbuster trade, along with DeAndre Ayton and Marcus Smart added this offseason.
The Lakers open their 2025–26 campaign on October 21 against the Golden State Warriors — and, as usual, LeBron’s still the main attraction.
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
