Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – NBA superstar LeBron James said Wednesday he was taking an indefinite hiatus from social media after sharing a post which railed against “negative” coverage in US media. James, who has some 212 million combined followers on his Instagram and X accounts, announced his break from social media after sharing a post by Rich Kleiman, the long-time agent of NBA star Kevin Durant.
“With so much hate and negativity in the world today, it confuses me why some of the national sports media still think that the best way to cover sports is through negative takes,” Kleiman wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “I for one find it all a waste of breath.” Los Angeles Lakers ace James shared the post to his followers with a one word comment: “AMEN!!”
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The 39-year-old then followed up that post to confirm he was leaving social media — for now. “And with that said, I’ll holla at y’all! Getting off social media for the time being. Y’all take care,” James wrote on X.
It is not the first time James has stepped away from social media. The all-time record points scorer has taken breaks before, but usually to concentrate on his basketball. James had hinted at disaffection with online criticism following the Lakers’ win over Utah on Tuesday, when Los Angeles rookie Dalton Knecht erupted for 37 points.
Talking about Knecht’s performance, James said he had been aware of the rookie’s talent from watching his collegiate career at Tennessee. “Everybody 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 said it. I watched him. I watched Tennessee a lot.”
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