FILE–LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers. David Berding/Getty Images/AFP
NBA superstar LeBron James refuses to shell out money for a blue checkmark on his account as Twitter’s policy on verification is set to take effect.
The four-time NBA MVP from the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the world’s highest-paid athletes with a net worth of $1 billion according to Forbes, made his stand clear against the social media platform’s new rule on user verification.
“Welp, guess my blue (check) will be gone soon ‘cause if you know me, I ain’t paying the 5,” LeBron, who has close to 53 million Twitter followers, said on Saturday (Manila time).
Welp guess my blue ✔️ will be gone soon cause if you know me I ain’t paying the 5. 🤷🏾♂️
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 31, 2023
LeBron’s tweet elicited laughs from fans and players alike including former Lakers teammate Kyle Kuzma.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
— kuz (@kylekuzma) March 31, 2023
James and the Lakers are fresh off a 123-111 victory over Minnesota Timberwolves. LeBron had 18 points and 10 rebounds in the win.
Twitter owner Elon Musk announced recently that as of the beginning of April, “Legacy-verified” gold checkmarks will officially be taken off the platform.
To be classified as verified on Twitter, users—public figures or not—will have to pay $8 per month.
Along with James, US sports publication Sports Illustrated (SI) has also declined to subscribe to the new Twitter rule.
Can’t bro i got kids… https://t.co/dP0DlmVaDl
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) March 31, 2023
Superbowl MVP Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs also said that he doesn’t plan on paying for the Twitter verification.