Wednesday marks 15 years since LeBron James stunned the NBA by announcing on live television that he would “take [his] talents to South Beach” and sign with the Miami Heat. The hour-long ESPN special, aired on 8 July 2010 and later dubbed “The Decision,” drew nearly 10 million viewers and generated about $2 million for the Boys & Girls Club of America. The spectacle reshaped player movement in U.S. sports, accelerating the trend toward superstar empowerment and short-term contracts that give athletes greater leverage over their careers. James’ move also sparked an immediate backlash—particularly in his native Ohio, where Cleveland Cavaliers fans burned jerseys—and cast the Heat’s newly formed trio of James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh as league villains until Miami captured back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013. No athlete has attempted a similarly produced free-agency announcement since, and James himself favored lower-key statements when leaving Miami for Cleveland in 2014 and the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018. Yet executives and players alike acknowledge that “The Decision” broadened the playbook for how stars assert control, a legacy reflected in recent high-profile trades and signings carried out largely on athletes’ terms.