Fan Sues LeBron James for ‘Fraud, Deception’ After Lakers Star Mocks ‘Second Decision’

A fan who spent hundreds of dollars on tickets to what he thought would be one of LeBron James’ last NBA games is trying to recover the money in small claims court after it was discovered that “The Second Deicision,” mocked by the Lakers superstar, had nothing to do with his retirement.

Norwalk resident Andrew Garcia filed a complaint Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleging that James owes him $865.66 due to “fraud, deception, misrepresentation and any basis for statutory recovery.”

Announcement

Garcia told the Times he spent that amount on two tickets to the Lakers’ game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 31, 2026, at Crypto.com Arena, thinking it would be the 40-year-old NBA icon’s last game against the team that drafted him in 2003.

He and other basketball fans were under that impression after James posted Monday on X that he would announce “the decision of all decisions” would come the next day. The post included a video clip mocking “The Second Decision,” a clear reference to 2010’s “The Decision,” in which James announced he would “take my talents to South Beach” to play for the Miami Heat.

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Garcia said he purchased tickets within 10 minutes of James’ social media post.

Announcement

“I was like, ‘Holy shit, LeBron’s going to retire! We have to get tickets now,'” the 29-year-old Garcia said. “Literally, because if he makes this announcement formally, there will be some significant changes in pricing, right?”

Garcia is a huge fan of the Lakers and James, as well as an avid basketball fan in general, so he thought it would be nice to see the NBA’s all-time leading scorer play one last time against the team he started his career with.

“Moments like these, I understand the value of it,” Garcia said. “There may still be a moderate value [to the tickets]however it is not the same without his retirement. I remember Kobe’s senior year, it was pretty much what it would have been, in and of itself, where every ticket was worth a lot. Every game had a value….

“I missed that. I was a little bit younger at the time. Obviously I wasn’t in a position to buy tickets unfortunately at that age. I think I was 18 or 19 at the time. And that’s one of my biggest regrets as a sports fan. I really wish I could have gotten the Kobes last year. So I see it as potentially making up for what I missed with Kobes.”

Announcement

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But the “Second Decision” ended up having nothing to do with retirement. It was simply a Hennessy commercial.

So now Garcia wants his money back.

“There’s no circumstance where he said he’s going to retire that I would have bought tickets that far in advance,” Garcia said. “I mean, I buy tickets, but I don’t buy tickets five months in advance. I’m the type of person who buys tickets five hours in advance. It was based solely, exclusively, solely on that. That’s why I was really thinking, ‘You know what, this could be grounds for a case.’ “

Announcement

The Times contacted an attorney said to be working with James in connection with the complaint but did not receive an immediate response.

In light of everything that happened this week, though, Garcia said he would still be willing to pay the same amount to see James play on his eventual retirement tour.

“Of course,” Garcia said. “I would probably spend more, because life is all about memories and experiences.”

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.