LeBron James re-posted a comment about all the “negativity” online. (Harry How / Getty Images)
By Samuel Short November 21, 2024 at 1:41pm
NBA star LeBron James announced Thursday that he’s decided to take some time off from social media.
The reason? Too much “negativity.”
James reposted a message from Rich Kleiman — an entrepreneur known for being fellow NBA player Kevin Durant’s agent — that spoke about, “so much hate and negativity in the world today” asserting that, “We can all acknowledge that sports is the last part of society that universally brings people together.”
AMEN!! @richkleiman 🫡 pic.twitter.com/OZr9e1CVbY
— LeBron James (@KingJames) November 20, 2024
Shortly after his repost, James made the following post indicating it was time to step away.
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
This would be all well and good for a four-time NBA champion if he truly considered professional sports to be an escape that brings Americans together while using his platform to spread positivity.
Was Michael Jordan better than LeBron James?
However, James has spent the past election cycle doing just the opposite.
On Halloween, James posted a deceptively edited video — basically propaganda — with soundbites of President-elect Donald Trump, making him seem like a raging lunatic racist one would find in the Civil Rights Era among names like former Alabama Gov. George Wallace.
James added the caption to the video, “What are we even talking about here?? When I think about my kids and my family and how they will grow up, the choice is clear to me.”
He ended his message with a desperate plea to his followers. “VOTE KAMALA HARRIS!!!”
What are we even talking about here?? When I think about my kids and my family and how they will grow up, the choice is clear to me. VOTE KAMALA HARRIS!!! pic.twitter.com/tYYlTmQS6e
— LeBron James (@KingJames) October 31, 2024
This video is the embodiment of the negativity James is complaining about.
How could James be so incredibly oblivious to the hypocrisy on display here?
TPUSA contributor Jon Root replied to James’s reposting of Kleiman’s message, reminding him how responsible he was for the atmosphere he now complains about.
Bro… You called Trump and his supporters (more than half the country), segregationist racists, KKK members and Nazis when you endorsed Kamala Harris.
You are perpetuating the divisiveness and hate that is tearing this country apart.
Maybe look at yourself in the mirror,…
— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) November 20, 2024
Root appropriately told James he was “perpetuating the divisiveness and hate that is tearing this country apart.”
Well said.
If James truly wanted to bring the country together, he would stop posting propaganda, stop attacking Trump supporters, and do one of the hardest things in the world — admit he was wrong.
Running away from the problem that you created while saying it’s someone else’s fault isn’t going to help your case.
James doesn’t appear to be done with X.
Maybe after his break, he can come back with a new mindset and actually be part of the solution.
Sam Short is an Instructor of History with Motlow State Community College in Smyrna, Tennessee. He holds a BA in History from Middle Tennessee State University and an MA in History from University College London.
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