I'm taking my talents to South Beach

"The Decision" was a live television interview conducted with basketball superstar Lebron James. The back-story to the interview surrounded James's pending free agency during the U.S summer of 2010. The world of sports had been saturated with speculations as to whether James would remain with his home-town team the Cleveland Cavaliers, or sign a contract to play with another team.

In hindsight, "The Decision" is considered as one of the worst marketing ploys in the history of sports. The general perception by fans and industry officials was that, James came across as selfish by arrogantly broadcasting his decision on live television. Ultimately, James announced he was leaving the Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat. As a result, his image became significantly tarnished and he was quickly branded as a "traitor" and a "quitter". Spoofs of his decision started coming out, such as remixes of his Nike commercials. One of his quotes from the interview: "I'm taking my talents to South Beach", was heavily spoofed by fans and took a life of its own, resonating far beyond the sports world.

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