Former Lakers guard wryly fires back at Stephen A. Smith over harsh LeBron James criticism with Snoop Dogg comparison

Stephen A. Smith recently expressed his dissatisfaction with LeBron James’ latest viral social media campaign for Hennessy. However, Nick Young came to LeBron’s defense.

The former Lakers guard didn't understand why Smith was so upset over what he viewed as a harmless advertisement. Young even drew a comparison to Snoop Dogg’s viral Solo Brands campaign, where the rapper jokingly announced he was quitting smoking,

“Get out your feelings brotha Smith yall mad at a joke ..snoop did the same thing with the fake he quit smoking ad,” Young wrote on X.

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Smith felt that James misled his fans by using the “Second Decision” announcement as a marketing tactic. The ESPN analyst didn’t hold back, calling the ad “cringy” and then unnecessarily escalating his criticism toward James’ struggles to capture a fifth championship.

“This was corny as hell, it was cringy, it was all of that, we know this,” said Smith. “I don’t understand why [James] would stoop to try to garner attention to himself with something other than trying to win a damn championship. “If you play like garbage at any point in time when it really really counts, I'm going to think about that Hennessy commercial and wonder if you were drinking something before the game.”

The campaign began with LeBron James posting a teaser video titled “The Second Decision.” The setup looked nearly identical to his 2010 ESPN special “The Decision,” where he announced he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat.

Many fans believed this new video would be a major announcement, possibly even his retirement. However, it turned out to be a marketing stunt for Hennessy.

Lakers fans takes legal action over LeBron James for viral marketing stunt

After LeBron James posted his “Second Decision” teaser clip, many fans assumed he would retire at the end of the 2025–2026 NBA season. This assumption led to Lakers ticket prices skyrocketing, particularly for the team’s final regular-season game against the Utah Jazz.

Now that it’s clear the social media post was just an ad from James, one fan feels the tickets are no longer worth what he paid and has decided to take legal action.

“A frustrated Lakers fan is suing LeBron James after being “duped” by his Decision 2.0 Hennessy ad — which led him to buy two tickets to the Lakers’ final game, per TMZ. The fan claims the tickets lost all their value and is seeking $856 in damages,” Legion Hoops wrote.

Although the post wasn’t a retirement announcement, LeBron James has often reflected on the idea of stepping away from the game, acknowledging that he is now closer to retirement than ever before.

Edited by Advait Jajodia