LeBron James says he’s taking a break from social media.
NBA’s all-time leading scorer and star of the Los Angeles Lakers posted on Xthe platform formerly called Twitter and Instagram announced on Wednesday that he is distancing himself from his pages. James has 159 million followers on Instagram, 52.9 million on X.
James kicked off the farewell by reposting something that Rich Kleiman, Kevin Durant’s longtime manager, posted on X on October 24.
“We can all recognize that sport is the last part of society that universally brings people together. So why can’t reporting do the same?” Kleiman wrote that day. ‘It’s only clickbait if you say it. If the platform is that big, you can make the change and let us all escape the negativity in real life. I think it’s all a waste of breath.”
James posted a screenshot of Kleiman’s post on Instagram and added the caption: “Damn shame what it turned out to be.” On X, his repost of Kleiman simply said: “AMEN!!”
Kleiman has only posted a handful of times since his October 24 post, and apparently James doesn’t plan on posting much (or anything) until further notice.
“And with that said, I’ll be cheering you all on! Stay off social media for a while. 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 nickname “King James.”
James had hinted that he was unhappy with the online criticism after the Lakers’ win over Utah on Tuesday, when Los Angeles rookie Dalton Knecht erupted for 37 points.
Speaking of Knecht’s performance, James said he was aware of the rookie’s talent from watching his collegiate career at Tennessee.
“Everyone on the internet calls me a liar all the time,” James said. ‘They say I lie about everything. So what am I now? I’ve been told. I looked at him. I watched Tennessee a lot.”
James, the NBA’s oldest active player — he turns 40 next month — is a four-time NBA champion and three-time Olympic gold medalist, the most recent of which came at the Paris Games earlier this year.
The Lakers are 10-4, winners of six straight, and play Orlando at home next Thursday.