Swagg signs exclusive Twitch streaming contract in LeBron “The Decision” parody

One of Call of Duty: Warzone’s biggest streamers, Kris ‘Swagg’ Lamberson has signed an exclusive contract with Twitch. And, fittingly, he announced it with a parody of LeBron James’ 2010 “The Decision” TV special.

In 2010, a free-agent LeBron shocked (and angered) the basketball world by announcing that he would be joining the Miami Heat to join All-Star friends and win championships. In 2021, Swagg, who played high school and college basketball, surprised no one by earning an exclusive deal with Twitch.

With over 300,000 Twitter followers and over 1.4 million on Twitch, Swagg is a known commodity in the streaming and gaming influencer worlds. A member of FaZe Clan and a founder of his own group, Nuke Squad, the streamer has made Verdansk his playground and continued to grow an enormous community while doing so.

For the announcement video, Swagg took inspiration from LeBron’s infamous TV special but put his own twist on it. Focusing specifically on how vital he considers his role as a Black streamer to be, he explained that this is just one step of many.

The checkered button-up shirt, the TV set background, and the awkwardly muted expressions — Swagg may just have a future in acting if his 2010 LeBron impersonation is anything to go off of. Still, as far as messaging goes, his intentions are clearly different from The King’s championship desires.

While an avid competitor himself, who just recently won the Toronto Ultra $100K Warzone tournament, Swagg drilled home just how pivotal his growth means for minorities in gaming: “I think it’s important, man, just to inspire the next generation of gamers … even more specifically, Black gamers, in a world where you don’t see too many of them.”

• Read more: Team Swagg wins $100K Toronto Ultra Warzone tournament

Not content with his own success and the growth of his platform, Swagg honed in on why this deal is part of a bigger picture: “This decision right here is huge and I think I can be a leader in that aspect.”

When LeBron went to South Beach in 2010, it shifted the NBA landscape as the world’s most talented player helped change basketball forever. In the years since, players have followed Bron’s footsteps as unbelievably athletic forwards have focused on guard skills and stars have recognized they should be empowered to play wherever they want to play. 

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For Swagg, the exclusive contract with Twitch is unsurprising, and putting together a “The Decision” parody is an easy, humorous ode to his past. But, as he emphasizes, his success is about more than himself and can hopefully embody a shifting of gaming’s landscape toward more inclusivity of minorities.