Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James reacts during the first half of an Emirates NBA Cup basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
LOS ANGELES — LeBron James says he’s taking a break from social media.
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer and Los Angeles Lakers star posted on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, and Instagram on Wednesday to announce that he’s stepping away from his pages. James has 159 million followers on Instagram, 52.9 million on X.
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James started the farewell by reposting something that Rich Kleiman, Kevin Durant’s longtime manager, posted to X on Oct. 24.
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“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?” Kleiman wrote that day. “It’s only click bait 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.”
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And with that said I’ll holla at y’all! Getting off social media for the time being. Y’all take care ✌🏾👑
— LeBron James (@KingJames) November 20, 2024
James, on Instagram, posted a screengrab of Kleiman’s post and added the caption, “Damn shame what it’s come to.” On X, his repost of Kleiman simply said, “AMEN!!”
Kleiman has posted only a handful of times since his Oct. 24 post, and evidently, James isn’t planning to post much — or anything — until further notice.
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His announcement came one day after he said “everybody on the Internet called me a liar all the time” when he said he was watching Dalton Knecht’s college games last year at Tennessee — long before the Lakers drafted the sharpshooting guard.
“And with that said I’ll holla at y’all! Getting off social media for the time being. Y’all take care,” James posted, followed by emojis of a hand holding up two fingers — often symbolizing someone leaving a place — and a crown, a nod to his “King James” moniker.
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James, the NBA’s oldest active player — he turns 40 next month — is a four-time NBA champion and a three-time Olympic gold medalist, the most recent of those coming earlier this year at the Paris Games.
The Lakers are 10-4, winners of six straight and next play Thursday at home against Orlando.