LeBron James: LA Lakers star quits social media after accusing online trolls of calling him a liar
One of the most recognisable faces on the planet, LeBron James, has made a monster decision and decided to quit social media, but not before he landed a few uppercuts to his online critics.
The LA Lakers star, who turns 40 on December 30, has decided to take a break from social media and is pausing his social media accounts, leaving behind just under 160 million Instagram followers alone.
James is the most followed NBA athlete with three times more than his nearest rivals, but his growing disdain with commentary about his character and honesty has left him angered to the point of quitting the platforms altogether.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.When asked at a press conference to comment on Lakers’ rookie sensation Dalton Knecht nailing an unbelievable 37-point game against the Utah Jazz, James seemingly felt the pressure and let the assembled media know about it.
“Everybody on the internet calls me a liar all the time. They say I lie about every f*cking thing. So what am I now?” LeBron asked.
James has been an unashamed supporter of the rookie but has felt the commentary around Knecht’s arrival and his reaction had been unjust.
“I watched him. I watched Tennessee a lot. I watched Tennessee a lot.” James said.
“I didn’t think he was going to fall to us. I thought it would be impossible. I have no idea how that happened,” he said of how the Lakers ended up landing Knecht with the No.17 draft pick.
Hours later and without warning James dropped a bombshell announcement saying he was quitting social media for the foreseeable future and tapped out via an X post.
Prior to the shock announcement, he re-posted a message from Kevin Durant’s longtime agent, Rich Kleiman, talking about the perils of taking social media comments to heart and perceived negativity in the media reports.
“With so much hate and negativity in the world today, it confuses me why some of National sports media still think that the best way to cover sports is through negative takes,” Kleiman said.
“We can all acknowledge that sports is the last part of society that universally brings people together. So why can’t the coverage do the same? It’s only clickbait when you say it.
“When the platform is so big, you can make the change and allow us all an escape from real-life negativity. I for one find it all a waste of breath. The Olympics and JJ and Bron’s show was the future of what this can and should all be.”
And with those two announcements the social media world and particularly the 200-300 million followers of ‘@KingJames’ will be having a break as well ... at least for now.
