He is arguably basketball’s greatest ever player.
But before his 23rd season in the NBA, LeBron James heightened speculation about his future with a cryptic post on his social media channels that teased a “Second Decision”.
A video showed him sitting down across from another man on a basketball court, with the caption: “The decision of all decisions. October 7th. 12pm EST.” By Tuesday it had amassed more than 1.3 million ‘likes’ on Instagram.
Was James about to retire?
It appears not – at 16:31 BST on Tuesday he posted a video revealing “the Second Decision” as a promotion for a drinks brand.
The teaser video shared on Monday echoed what became known as “The Decision” in 2010 – when in a televised announcement, from a gym, James revealed he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat.
James turns 41 in December and has already made plenty of history in the game.
Last season he became the first player in NBA history to score 50,000 combined points across regular season and play-off games.
In April 2025 his influence beyond sport was shown when he became the first professional male athlete to be honoured as a Ken doll by Barbie makers Mattel.
In the NBA, no other player has made it to a 23rd season.
Since being drafted first overall by hometown team the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003, switching to the Heat in 2010 and then joining the Lakers in 2018, James has won four league titles and broken a host of records.
One record came after his son Bronny was drafted by the Lakers in 2024 and they became the first father-son duo to share the court in an NBA game.
Last week the 6ft 9in superstar insisted he was “excited about the opportunity to be able to play the game that I love for another season”.
“The thing still pushing me is the fact that my love for the game is still high,” he added.
Some suspected “The Second Decision” would not be a retirement announcement.
With a string of investments and off-court ventures in tow, many of those engaging with the teaser on Instagram and X predicted James would be making a promotional announcement for one such vehicle.
They appear to have been correct.
