Retirement or marketing gimmick? Cryptic LeBron James video sets Internet buzzing

A cryptic video shared by LeBron James set the Internet abuzz on Monday, with fans wondering if the NBA superstar was preparing to announce his retirement or simply another commercial venture.

The 10-second video posted on James’ social media channels teased that the Los Angeles Lakers star would reveal the “decision of all decisions” at 12 p.m. ET on Tuesday, dubbing the event “The Second Decision.”

The video was a clear reference to James’ first famous, choreographed “Decision” in 2010, when he kept the basketball world on tenterhooks before announcing he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat in free agency.

Monday’s video comes as James, 40, prepares to make history later this month by becoming the first NBA player to begin a 23rd season in the league.

At a Lakers media day last week, James said he had made no decision about when he plans to retire from basketball, acknowledging only that he expected it to come “sooner than later.”

“I’m excited about today, I’m excited about the opportunity to be able to play the game that I love for another season,” James told reporters.

“Whatever the journey lays out this year, I’m super-invested because I don’t know when the end is. It’s a lot sooner than later.”

While one U.S. media outlet’s report about Monday’s video wondered in a headline “Could retirement be next?”, reports also noted that James has an array of commercial partnerships, including Amazon, which could explain the cryptic post. Amazon is staging a sales event on Tuesday.

Yet whether Monday’s video teases something momentous such as his retirement, or simply a new business venture, tickets for the Lakers final home game of the season reportedly skyrocketed.

Reports citing Tickpick, the online marketplace for buying and selling tickets to sports and cultural events, said the cheapest ticket for the Lakers’ game against the Utah Jazz on April 12 jumped from $85 to $445 in the hours after the video went online.

The cheapest price for a ticket on the SeatGeek online secondary market was an eye-watering US$821, while the lowest price on Ticketmaster was advertised at just over $955.