LeBron’s “Second Decision” and the Cost of Regrettable Attention

Hello, friends. I’m in Puerto Rico about to speak to a marketing conference about all “Black Sheep Branding” & why there’s never been a better time to be a black sheep.
I’m bullish on humanity and especially the uniqueness of each human because I think, nay, I KNOW that AI cannot replace human experience & perspective and beauty.

I use the example of the amazing photographer Platón. Conicidentally the best keynote talk I’ve ever heard was when he spoke to my small team at Nike over a decade ago.
This week, Moncler released a much beloved image of Deniro & Pacino reuniting.

Could MidJourney have created this image? Perhaps something close. “Give me a platon style black & white image taken of Robert Deniro & Al Pacino”…or something like that. But Moncler didn’t hire MidJourney did they? No.
Why? Because Midjourney CANNOT DO or CONNECT with an audience the way that the human being Platón can.

I’lll say this because the following is the newsletter from last week that I did not send bc Chat did such a bad and cheesy rewrite of my video transcript that I just couldn’t send it. Is it more digestable? Maybe? But it’s not me. Sharing the below just because I stand by my points (without the cheesy Linkedin Punchy Chat tone).

Lastly, I took 20 years of experience & put it into 17 mins of the most valuable career advice that I have. It’s on YouTube. Check it or send it to the people who are chasing because I cannot meet with them 🙂 

The Setup

LeBron James sat down for what he called “The Second Decision.”
The internet went wild — 30 million views, endless speculation.

Was he retiring? Leaving L.A.?
Nope. He was just announcing a new cognac partnership.

The comments were chaos. Millions watched, millions were disappointed — and yet the post racked up engagement numbers any brand would die for.

So, was it a win?
Depends on how you define success.

Attention vs. Affection

We’re living in a moment where attention is the most valuable currency in marketing. But like real currency, it can inflate — and lose value — when misused.

LeBron’s “Decision 2.0” might look successful on paper (30 million views = success, right?), but it’s what I call regrettable attention — when the audience feels tricked instead of treated.

You might win the click, but you lose the connection.

The MrBeast Principle

I’ve been studying YouTube principals recenctly and in YouTube culture, creators obsess over one key rule:

If you don’t, people feel duped. They leave. They don’t trust you next time.

That’s what’s happening here. LeBron’s audience clicked expecting a monumental career move. Instead, they got a product plug.

That’s not a marketing crime — but it’s a missed opportunity for resonance.

The New Metric: Unregretted Minutes

Elon Musk’s X team calls it “unregretted user minutes” — the idea that attention isn’t valuable unless users don’t regret giving it to you.

In sports marketing, this might be the next big frontier. We don’t just want views; we want trust, satisfaction, and shareability.

If the people who give you attention walk away feeling fooled, you’ve borrowed from tomorrow’s credibility to pay today’s engagement.

The Takeaway

LeBron didn’t just sell a drink — he accidentally gave us a masterclass in the ethics of attention.

Every marketer, creator, and athlete with a platform should ask:

Because in 2025, views are easy — trust is rare.

Education:

The BrandFathers new episode is out NOW: This week, The Fathers break down the AI marketing war, Cracker Barrel re-brand, Ryder Cup merch strategy and more.
We also compare Lululemon & Nike’s challenges last week!

Blessings:

My world was so small in heroin addiction and eventually incarceration. I was confined to a bathroom in addiction and to a cell in incarceration.
But, every year that I’ve been in recovery, my world has gotten so much bigger.
This week is no exception to that. I’m being paid to come to Puerto Rico & talk about my favorite things.
God is so wild, man.

“²⁰ Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”