Does he or doesn’t he? That’s the question fans are wondering about, after NFL star Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson claimed to have acquired yet another piece of LeBron James memorabilia.
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This time around, it’s a really hot one, and would be a real coup for Ochocinco if he had managed to actually lay his hands on it. We’re talking about the game ball used on James’ ‘50k point night’ on Tuesday.
Chad took to X to thank LeBron for gifting him the ball with which he scored his 50,000th career point (regular season + Playoffs). This was the match ball from the Lakers’ 136-115 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, where LBJ reached the landmark.
But fans aren’t buying it. That’s because Ocho is known to have cried wolf once too often in the past. What happened a year ago, when LeBron cracked 40,000 career regular-season points, is still fresh in their minds.
After that landmark occasion, Ocho had taken to Nightcap to flex on co-host, Shannon Sharpe, that he was in possession of the game ball for that night. What ensued was one of the most hilarious Nightcap moments of the year.
Ocho managed to successfully fool Sharpe at first. The staunch James supporter truly believed that Chad had been gifted the game ball. That was until the scribbled text on the ball revealed this wasn’t the case in the slightest.
Which is why fans have flooded Chad’s timeline with replies to his latest claim, calling him out on this. “Chad [Johnson] lying,” and replies with only laughing face emojis pretty much summed up the mood.
— jackson blaze (@jacksonblaze888) March 5, 2025
It’s unclear at the moment if Chad truly does have the game ball. He had mentioned on First Take that he had wanted the ball.
“I talked to LeBron and asked for him if I could have that 50,000 point ball. He agreed to that,” said Chad, who was immediately greeted with laughter by Sharpe and Kendrick Perkins. Sharpe’s reaction might indicate he knows whether his co-host actually has the ball in his possession.
The follow-up of this story will likely happen on an upcoming episode of Nightcap. Fans are divided on what would be funnier: Ocho going through all of this press just to lie a second time or Sharpe’s astonished reaction if he actually manages to come up with this piece of NBA history.
