JJ Redick Had Four-Word Message for Anybody Thinking LeBron James Was Going to Retire

Liam McKeone | Oct 8, 2025

JJ Redick laughed at those who believed LeBron James might be announcing his retirement this week. / Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

LeBron James was the talk of the town in the NBA this week thanks to an elaborate Hennessy ad.

The longtime superstar teased fans that he would announce his "Second Decision," leading to much speculation about what that decision might be. The most obvious and popular narrative was that James would be announcing his retirement as he enters his age-41 season. Of course, that guess and every other was wrong; his "Second Decision" was part of his new campaign for a new cognac.

Speaking to media on Tuesday after James's announcement, Lakers head coach JJ Redick laughed at anyone who believed retirement was imminent for the future Hall of Famer with a simple four-word message: "You guys are idiots."

"You guys are idiots," Redick said with a smile when asked if he got any questions about James's retirement ahead of his Hennessy reveal. "We all knew it wasn't happening... Nobody was freaking out."

A compilation of Lakers reactions to LeBron James’ The Decision 2.0:
Rui Hachimura - “He loves to do that type of stuff”
Austin Reaves: “I got a couple calls, like, ‘What is this?’”
JJ Redick - “You guys are idiots” pic.twitter.com/SiujD19E9w

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) October 7, 2025

While there was plenty of reason to be dubious James would decide to announce his intention to retire in the middle of the NBA's preseason without warning, the idea got momentum too quickly to be completely dismissed. The belief he was going to retire was so widespread it resulted in a massive spike in ticket prices for Los Angeles's final game of the year this upcoming season. It is safe to say that there were some people freaking out, even if Redick's Lakers weren't.

But it was all for naught. Instead James got a ton of attention (and plenty of roasting) for his new partnership and Redick got to laugh at everybody.

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