Google scrubbed it, but Bing kept the receipts that show where LeBron James may play next season

Bing and Microsoft logos — (Image credit: Getty Images | Avishek Das/SOPA Images/LightRocket )

LeBron James will play for the Miami Heat in the 2026/2027 season, at least if a private video by the Miami Heat YouTube channel is to be believed. The official YouTube channel of the NBA team posted a video titled "LeBron James Introductory Press Conference" that specifically mentions July 27, 2026.

The YouTube video, which is marked as private, was quickly delisted and removed from Google search results, but Bing still shows the video (though you can't actually watch it).

With an NBA player of James' fame, people would have likely spotted the video if it appeared on Google for only a few seconds. But Bing made it much easier to see the video.

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Bing search results page for "lebron james introductory press conference" showing video links about a leaked Miami Heat press conference alongside photos and highlight videos of LeBron James. — Bing still shows a video from the Miami Heat titled "LeBron James Introductory Press Conference." (Image credit: Future)

The basketball world is eagerly waiting for James to make a decision regarding where he will play next season. NBA commissioner Adam Silver even said the schedule of the league cannot be finalized until James announces his plans.

So, should Silver finish the NBA schedule and send it out now that the Miami Heat YouTube channel published a video? Probably not. While there's always a possibility that James will return to Miami, the Heat organization claimed the video was mistakenly made public by the social media department of the team.

A Heat spokesperson further clarified to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald that the team prepared the video because of the possibility of James returning to Miami.

I'll point out that Miami did not deny that James will sign with the Heat or claim the video is incorrect. The spokesperson said there is "currently no validity to the video" (Chiang's phrasing of what he was told).

That being said, it's normal for organizations to prepare for different scenarios. A more somber example is that media outlets often have obituaries written in advance for key figures.

We'll have to wait to see if James decides to return to Miami or play elsewhere next season. In the meantime, we can see if betting lines about his future signing shift based on the mistakenly shared video.

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Sean Endicott is a News Writer at Windows Central, where he covers Windows 11, Surface hardware, Microsoft 365, AI, apps, and the broader PC ecosystem. Since joining the site in 2017, he has written well over a thousand articles across the Microsoft landscape, covering breaking news, analysis, and feature reporting.

He writes Windows Wrap, a weekly column covering the biggest stories in Windows and the PC industry, and what they mean for the platform going forward.

Before joining Windows Central full-time, Sean worked in journalism and media production after earning a First Class degree in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University. Outside of tech, he is an award-winning American football coach based in Nottingham, England, and was named BAFCA Youth Coach of the Year in 2024.