
A longtime Lakers fan is suing James after feeling “duped” by the advertisement, alleging it cost him hundreds of dollars.
WASHINGTON — LeBron James sent the sports world into a spiral earlier this week with his “The Second Decision” announcement.
The teaser announcement garnered millions of views fueled possible retirement rumors for the star basketball player and spiked ticket prices for the Lakers game. In the end, it was all about a Hennessy ad.
Now, a longtime Lakers fan is suing James after feeling “duped” by the advertisement, alleging it cost him hundreds of dollars.
According to the Los Angeles Times and TMZ Sports, Andrew Garcia filed a lawsuit in a small claims court in Los Angeles County this week. The 29-year-old fan claims that the Lakers star owes him $865.66 because of “fraud, deception, misrepresentation, and any and all basis of legal recovery.”
Garcia told multiple media outlets that the $865.66 was the amount for two tickets to the Lakers’ game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Mar. 31, 2026. The fan alleged that he bought the tickets after the teaser announcement alluded to James’ possible retirement.
Garcia said he bought the tickets thinking that the 40-year-old basketball legend would retire after playing against the very team that drafted him in 2003.
James posted a cryptic message to his social media pages on Monday, calling the anticipated announcement “The Second Decision.”
Ticket prices for the Lakers’ final regular-season game soared on Monday on secondary markets, with fans willing to spend big money just in case James decides that this season is his last.
Tickets jumped from an average of $250 to $500 within an hour of James’ post on Monday, according to ticket-selling platform StubHub. By Tuesday, the cheapest ticket for the April 12 game against the Utah Jazz was for upper-level seats, priced at $399 per ticket.
Garcia told the LA Times that he purchased tickets within 10 minutes of James’ post on Monday.
The video announcement, which was a “limited-edition” collaboration with Hennessy, was reminiscent of James’ famous “The Decision” moment. In a televised 2010 special, James announced to the world that he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat.
“In the fall, I’m gonna be taking my talents…..this is tough,” James says in the ad. “I’m going to be taking my talents to Hennessy VSOP.”
Hennessy announced that it would be releasing a limited edition orange bottle featuring James’ name on the label and his signature “crowning” gesture — a nod to his “King James” moniker. “Where the first moment marked a pivotal career move, this second decision celebrates a creative reunion and shared cultural legacy,” Hennessy said in the release announcing the move.
James, who will turn 41 in December, is set to enter a record 23rd season in the NBA. Last season, he became the first player in the league’s history to score 50,000 combined points across regular-season and playoff games.