LeBron James Pulls The Rug On Fan Theories After Teasing Retirement With The "Second Decision"

BY Cole Blake 1496 Views
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NBA: Preseason-Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors
Oct 5, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23), wearing a Los Angeles Dodgers hat, watches from the sideline during a break against the Golden State Warriors in the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images
LeBron James' "second decision" isn't about the future of his playing career despite rampant speculation in recent days.

LeBron James caused pandemonium on social media, earlier this week, by teasing a "Second Decision," referencing his infamous announcement in 2010 when he left the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat. Fans immediately interpreted the move as a hint at his retirement from the NBA as the 40-year-old enters his 23rd season. On Tuesday, he revealed that the announcement was actually for a partnership with Hennessy.

In the wake of his intitial teaser, ticket prices for the final Los Angeles Lakers home game of the 2025-26 regular season shot up in value. ESPN's Kalan Hooks reported that they increased from $82 to $580.

When Is LeBron James Retiring?

LeBron James previously addressed whether the upcoming season will be his last while speaking with the media, last week. "I'm excited about the opportunity to be able to play the game that I love for another season," James said, according to ESPN. "However the journey lays out this year, I'm super-invested because I don't know when the end is. I know it's a lot sooner than later."

"It's pretty cool to know how many miles I've got and still be able to play at a high level," James continued. "For me, age is kind of just a number, but it is reality, too. You look at the history of the game, there's not been many guys at my age, especially going into Year 23, that have been able to play at a level like that. I just try not to take it for granted and just try to give the game as much as I can, inspire whoever I can."

He did give some idea as to when he'll be done with the game of basketball when asked whether he'll be playing in the league alongside his 18-year-old son, Bryce. "I'm not waiting on Bryce, I don't know what his timeline is, he's his own young man," he said, as caught by CBS Sports. "We'll see what happens this year, next year, but he has his own timeline, I got my timeline, and I don't know if they quite match up."

About The Author
Cole Blake is a current staff writer at HotNewHipHop based out of New York City. He began writing for the site as an intern back in 2018 while finishing his B.A. in Journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s covered a number of breaking stories for HNHH. These include the ongoing YSL RICO trial, the allegations surrounding Diddy, and much more. His work also extends outside of hip-hop, having written extensively about a myriad of topics including politics, sports, and pop culture. He’s attended several music festivals to provide coverage for the site as well, such as Rolling Loud and Governors Ball.

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