LeBron James and his “second decision” announcement, which made everyone in the NBA brace for an earthquake moment, turned out to be an endorsement gimmick. What was expected to be a retirement or a team change ‘decision’ turned out to be the announcement of The King’s partnership with liquor brand Hennessy. Needless to say, it has been heavily criticized. But then, as always, LeBron has his backers, too.
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Gilbert Arenas, for one, believes that James has earned the right to promote himself after giving his 100% to the league for 22 years. He’s 40 now and still playing a key role in a team chasing the Championship. So, a little fun and some extra money on the side to go with it, isn’t a problem, feels Arenas.
Plus, it’s not like James was the first to promote brands this way. Arenas, in a podcast and then on X, compared the Lakers star to the likes of Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, while explaining why James is a step ahead of them.
“It’s year 23, I mean goddamn, like what are you expecting that you didn’t expect from the rest of your GOATs? Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, right? MJ. You were just happy they made it to the gym. Let alone trained and got on the court and actually put in work,” said Arenas.
“So, the fact that he’s done 22 years of promoting the NBA and then you get mad cuz he promotes himself for… come on, man,” he added.
James, in all fairness, has been more impactful at the top at 39 or 40 years old than Kareem and MJ were. MJ wasn’t the explosive phenom playing with the Wizards in 2002-03, while Abdul-Jabbar was averaging around 15 points per game in the mid-1080s for the Lakers. LeBron, in comparison, averaged 25.7 last season.
Arenas then pointed out the hypocrisy in criticizing the Hennessy deal. “Everybody mad at Bron for promoting Hennessy in year 23 like MJ didn’t have Hanes, Gatorade, and cigars in rotation. Greatness don’t clock out. Bron [is] just adding bottles to the legacy,” he said.
But then, none of those who criticized LeBron questioned his legacy. The reason people went after the Los Angeles Lakers star was because of his usage of the term “second decision.” The first “decision,” which came back in 2010, changed the league forever, because he left his home in Cleveland to win titles in Miami with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, forming a modern-day superteam by pure will.
So, because of James’ age, many people felt that the “second decision” was a retirement announcement. Or perhaps a revelation that he was returning to Cleveland for one last hurrah. Or perhaps that he would be moving elsewhere.
Instead, it turned out to be an ad. That’s why the fury is all about. Do you think it’s justified?.
