A Los Angeles Lakers fan has filed a lawsuit against NBA star LeBron James in small claims court. The fan says he was tricked into buying expensive game tickets. He thought James was going to announce his retirement based on a video posted on social media that ended up being just a commercial for Hennessy.
Andrew Garcia is 29 years old and has been a Lakers fan his whole life. He bought two tickets for $432.83 each to the March 31, 2026 game between the Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers. Garcia bought the tickets after James posted a video on October 6 saying “The Second Decision” would be announced the next day. The video reminded people of James’s famous 2010 announcement when he left Cleveland for Miami. This made many fans think he was going to talk about retirement.
In his lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County, Garcia wants $865.66 back. He is accusing James of “fraud, deception, misrepresentation, and any and all basis of legal recovery.” Garcia told TMZ Sports that he would not have bought the tickets if James was not going to retire. He said “Plain and simple.” He thought he was buying tickets to what would be James’s last game against the team that picked him in the draft.
The announcement got a lot of attention from basketball fans
When James finally showed his “Second Decision” on October 7, it was just an ad for Hennessy VSOP cognac. The commercial showed James doing the same thing as his 2010 announcement, even wearing the same clothes from the original video. Many fans and people in the media were upset about what they felt was a trick to get attention, just like reactions James has gotten for other commercials he has done.
The video had a big effect on ticket prices around the league. Reports say that tickets for the Lakers’ last home game of the 2025-26 season against the Utah Jazz went up from $82 to at least $580. Garcia says that after the Hennessy announcement came out, his tickets lost almost all of their value.
Sports commentator Stephen A. Smith criticized James over the commercial. He said it could change how fans see his performance. The stunt got a lot of negative reactions from the basketball world. Many people said James was just looking for attention. James is entering his 23rd NBA season at age 40. He has said before that he has not made any decisions about retirement after this season.
It is not clear how the small claims court will deal with Garcia’s lawsuit. The case shows what can happen when celebrity marketing meets what fans expect in professional sports.
