The NBA’s all-time leading scorer and Los Angeles Lakers star, LeBron James, announced on Wednesday that he is taking a break from social media. James, who has 159 million followers on Instagram and 52.9 million on X (formerly Twitter), shared the news on both platforms.
James started the farewell by reposting something that Rich Kleiman, Kevin Durant’s longtime manager, posted to X on Oct. 24.
“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.”
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.
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.
LeBron James, the NBA’s oldest active player, is set to celebrate his 40th birthday next month. A four-time NBA champion and three-time Olympic gold medalist, James most recently secured gold earlier this year at the Paris Games.
The Los Angeles Lakers, currently on a six-game winning streak, hold a 10-4 record and are scheduled to face Orlando at home on Thursday.