Jets troll Heat with fake LeBron press conference after YouTube slip
Winnipeg jumped on Miami’s deleted LeBron James YouTube listing with a gag press conference, a Jets jersey mock-up and plenty of “LeHockey” jokes.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
2 min read
The Winnipeg Jets turned a Miami Heat YouTube mishap into cross-sport comedy, posting their own pretend LeBron James introductory press conference after ESPN reported that Miami had briefly listed one on its channel.
According to ESPN, the Heat late Tuesday put up a scheduled livestream titled “LeBron James Introductory Press Conference” on the team’s YouTube page, with the event dated July 27. The listing was later removed.
A Heat spokesperson told ESPN’s Shams Charania that the team had been preparing for the possibility of James signing with Miami and that the listing went live on the franchise channel by mistake.
Winnipeg did not wait long to pounce. On Wednesday morning, the NHL club posted on X about a supposed Jets version of the same LeBron press event, pointing fans to a YouTube live page with the matching title.
The Jets’ post said the team’s official YouTube channel had a LeBron introductory press conference scheduled for July 27, while crediting TheNBACentel. The post quickly became part of the joke around Miami’s deleted listing.
ESPN reported that Winnipeg also created a live YouTube post carrying the same press conference title. A tag on the page suggested it would go live at 12:23 p.m. local time on July 27.
The bit came with a full visual gag. The Jets made a thumbnail showing James in a Winnipeg jersey, with “LePress Conference” splashed across it and a reminder reading, “Note to self: Don’t upload this yet!”
Fans joined in from the live chat, according to ESPN, with comments including “LeWinnipegJets” and “LeHockey.”
The joke also spread outside sports. ESPN noted that the Philadelphia Police Department posted its own mock press conference on X after the Heat listing became public.
The reason the slip drew so much attention is obvious: James is a free agent. ESPN reported that the 41-year-old is entering his 24th NBA season and is an unrestricted free agent for the first time since he joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018.
ESPN also reported that the Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers and Heat are viewed as front-runners for James, with the Golden State Warriors also emerging as a possible destination.
For now, Miami’s deleted YouTube page has produced no signing announcement. It has, however, produced a very busy day for social media teams with a taste for LeBron wordplay.
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.