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Was the Miami Heat’s mistake the Winnipeg Jets’ gain?
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Well, no, but the NHL team was quick to joke about the South Beach squad’s viral error on Tuesday, sharing an image to hype up a scheduled “introductory press conference” for the NBA legend on July 27.
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The Jets were referring to a massive mistake made by the Heat, which had the Internet in an uproar on Tuesday when it accidentally posted a scheduled press conference livestream to announce James’ return to the Heat.
The post titled “LeBron James Introductory Press Conference” was quickly deleted after it went viral on social media and the YouTube leak only intensified talks on social media that an announcement from James is imminent as it was scheduled to go live on July 27.
Fans discover the Miami Heat posted a scheduled live stream titled “LeBron James Introductory Press Conference” slated for July 27th on YouTube.
It was quickly deleted…
Miami has since responded saying it was a mistake from their social media team — in preparation for a… pic.twitter.com/uck520KIv7
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 22, 2026
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When users followed the link on YouTube, the stream was offline but the chat was active — with many confused users posting about the potential signing.
James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and a four-time champion, currently remains a free agent after leaving the Los Angeles Lakers last month.
He has yet to decide which team he will join for the 2026-27 season, though rumours have emerged that the Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers and Golden State Warriors are among the top potential destinations.
If James does return to Miami — he played four seasons for the Heat, from 2010-14 — he would join Giannis Antetokounmpo, who arrived in South Florida earlier this off-season after a blockbuster trade with the Milwaukee Bucks.
However, James’ agent, Rich Paul, has stated that even he doesn’t know which way the greatest NBA player of his generation is leaning.
“These people don’t know anything,” Paul said. “I don’t even know when his choice is going to be made, but it could be 48 seconds (from now), it could be 48 minutes. I don’t know.
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“Again, you can’t make somebody know something that they don’t know.”
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The NBA also reportedly is waiting on James’ decision before announcing the league’s 2026-27 regular-season schedule.
How bad was this ‘mistake’ by the Heat?
According to the Miami Herald‘s Anthony Chiang, the team explained that it “was a mistake by the Heat’s social media department while preparing for the possibility of LeBron picking the Heat and there “is no validity to it right now.”
An explanation on the “LeBron James Introductory Press Conference” video that has taken over X …
It was a mistake by the Heat’s social media department while preparing for the possibility of LeBron picking the Heat. But there is no validity to it right now.
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) July 22, 2026
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There apparently were some consequences to this “mistake” with reports that the Heat fired a member of its social media team.
Miami reportedly has listed job openings for a director of YouTube strategy and for a “Jr. Social Media Content Creator.”
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