A Lakers fan has filed a small-claims lawsuit against LeBron James after misinterpreting a social media post teasing “The Second Decision” as a retirement announcement, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Andrew Garcia, of Norwalk, is seeking $865.66 for tickets to the Lakers-Cavaliers game on March 31, 2026, believing it would be James’ final matchup against his original NBA team.
Garcia purchased the tickets within 10 minutes of James’ post, which referenced the 2010 “The Decision” special that announced his move to Miami. “I was like, ‘Holy s—, LeBron is going to retire! We’ve got to get tickets now,’” Garcia told the Los Angeles Times.
Instead of announcing his retirement, the teaser was part of a Hennessy ad campaign, leaving Garcia frustrated and prompting the legal claim citing “fraud, deception, misrepresentation, and any and all basis of legal recovery.”
Victory Live reported that ticket sales for Lakers games spiked 25 times above the daily average on the day of James’ post, with average sold-ticket prices rising from $280 to $399 before returning to normal. Ticketmaster’s lowest price for the March 31 game later dropped to $141.
Lakers coach JJ Redick confirmed that the team was not concerned by James’ teaser. “We all knew it was an ad,” Redick said at practice.
Garcia explained that his purchase was driven solely by the assumption of seeing James’ retirement game. “There is no circumstance absent him saying he’s gonna retire that I would have bought tickets that far in advance,” he said.
Despite the misunderstanding, Garcia expressed a continued appreciation for the experience of seeing James play. “Of course, I would probably spend more, because life is all about memories and experiences,” he said.
The trial date for the claim is set for December 1. Attempts to reach James’ legal representation for comment were not immediately successful.
