Playing with fan emotions can backfire, and LeBron James may have just learned that the hard way. The 40-year-old sparked a frenzy on Monday after posting a cryptic message on X, teasing what many believed would be a “Second Decision,” hinting at possible retirement after the 2025–26 season. Instead, the big reveal had nothing to do with basketball. It was a marketing stunt promoting his partnership with Hennessy. What James and the brand thought would be a clever move has now turned into a PR nightmare.

Many fans were upset with the bluff, but a few went an added mile by paying a premium to book a place and watch their favorite star’s final game in the NBA. One of them was lifelong Lakers fan Eric Garcia. He, unlike the other supporters who expressed their frustration on social media, decided to take a different tangent. Garcia wanted to sue the Akron native after he bought two tickets for LA’s final game of the season at an inflated price of $856.66. But it isn’t settling in the courts.

“If he’s unwilling to get served at his residence, I’m going to have to have a process server deliver it to him at Crypto Arena during a game. This is not going away,” Eric Garcia told The Athletic in a recent interview. Under California law, small-claims court bars attorneys from representing clients, meaning Garcia can’t go through LeBron’s legal team even if he wanted to. So if the NBA superstar refuses to address the case privately, Garcia says he’s ready to take it straight to the Crypto.com Arena. And here’s the root cause.

Everything started with the clickbait advertisement, which faced massive backlash on social media. And no, it’s not just because James trolled millions of his fans and followers. Instead, it was also because of the 40-year-old’s post that many fans panicked and bought the tickets to the Lakers’ final game of the season against the Cavaliers. Of course, it came at a much increased price than the original ones, but the fans did not want to miss a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, or what they thought it would be, and now it has provoked many!

It’s safe to say that this might seem like overkill for most, but for Eric, the matter is much deeper than money. After all, if he wanted to come after someone like James, he could’ve asked for a much higher number. But instead, he chose to get the barebones refund of what he thinks should be rightfully his. Now, it will be interesting to see how LeBron James navigates through this legal battle. Meanwhile, it seems like the Akron Hammer has more to worry about.

LeBron James sends a stern warning to the Lakers ahead of the new season

It seems like it’s not just off the court where LeBron James is struggling with issues; things aren’t much different on the court as well. The Los Angeles Lakers recently suffered a major setback after he sustained a sciatica injury, due to which he’s expected to miss at least three to four weeks of action. The 21-time All-Star has already missed each of the Purple & Gold’s first two preseason games, and his now ruled out for the entire preseason.

While James is focused on his recovery and wants to return before the Lakers’ opening night matchup against the Warriors, NBA Insider Dave McMenamin believes there’s one more thing he’ll be keeping an eye on. “LeBron’s gotta be watching, while he’s out. If they are struggling, that could lead to the next step… When Rich Paul said that LeBron will be watching the Lakers’ every move because the priority is to win. If they are not winning, maybe LeBron might have to go elsewhere,” he said.

McMenamin thinks that with James being sidelined for a few weeks, he’ll be closely monitoring the situation in Southern California. This indicates that the veteran will assess whether this current Lakers roster is enough to compete for a title or not. If not, he might request a move away from LA, something his close friend and agent, Rich Paul, has already hinted at. Now there’s no way to identify how true this information is, but if it is correct, then the upcoming weeks will be crucial for the future of the franchise.