LeBron James teases retirement tour, but we can't be sure yet

LeBron James caught the attention of NBA fans everywhere on Monday afternoon. He announced 'The Second Decision' on social media, planned for Oct. 7. It is virtually the same setup as 'The Decision' back in 2010, when he announced his move from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Miami Heat. "I'm going to take my talents to South Beach..."

Something tells me LeBron is not announcing a trade this time. Retirement rumors have been swirling for a while now, and James hasn't exactly made an effort to put out those flames. He danced around the question at media day, but made it clear he's not waiting on his second son, Bryce, to join him in the league. He's going to hang 'em up sooner than later.

It is well documented and appropriately theorized that if LeBron wants to retire, he is going to announce it ahead of time in order to receive a Kobe Bryant-esque farewell tour. He wants to make a spectacle of it. This would be a believable first step toward a year-long celebration of James' incredible career. LeBron is an incredible player, but he is also a capitalist through and through. He wants to turn a profit and put himself in the spotlight. He's not going to quietly fade into the night when he can transform his final season into a very profitable spectacle, as is his right.

That said... are we sure he's announcing his retirement?

LeBron James fuels retirement rumors with ominous 'Second Decision' announcement

LeBron piqued the curiosity of NBA fans back in June, when he posted this video teasing his retirement.

The next day he answered the "what's next?" question: Prime Day! It was an Amazon ad, and many are wondering if this is just another round of expert marketing from the NBA's preeminent businessman.

Of course, there are notable differences. LeBron's June video was labeled '#ad' on Twitter and features what is clearly a fake press conference. If we honestly thought he was going to announce his retirement via advertisement or, like, a narrative short film with a fake press scrum, that's on us. We can't be so gullible.

This time around, James isn't claiming it's an ad ahead of time, and he's also sitting down in a real chair, across from a real person, in a gym that does not look like the setup for a Prime Day commercial. He is also expressly referencing the most public-facing, consequential announcement of his career. But also, Prime Day is tomorrow, Oct. 7, so who knows? It would be an incredible bit to actually announce his retirement on Prime Day. Not really "incredible" as in positive, but it would be on-brand in a sort of dystopian way.

We can't rule out either, honestly. My gut tells me this is the real deal — LeBron has poked around the subject enough to lead us to such a conclusion — but the alignment with Prime Day is hard to ignore. Amazon has unlimited money and has partnered with LeBron in the past. He was partying with Jeff Bezos in Cannes this summer. There's a totally real chance that Amazon and James came together and decided this would be a fun (read: lucrative) way to drum up attention before the big day. You know, when everything goes on sale.

LeBron has put together one of the greatest careers in professional sports history. If he's not the GOAT, he's the GOAT runner-up, with four championships, 21 All-Star appearances, 21 All-NBA nods, and four MVP awards. He has won the championship in three different cities, including for his hometown Cleveland, and he has gone well past the breaking point for most superhuman athletes, supplying 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists in his age-40 season.

If this is the beginning of the end for LeBron, there will be ample reason to celebrate. If it's just another Amazon plug, we can roll our eyes and move on with our lives. But also, please don't do the Amazon thing, LeBron.

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