Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is going offline after retweeting an old social media post by Rich Kleiman, Kevin Durant‘s agent, about the negativity in national sports coverage.
“Amen!! James wrote while tagging Kleiman, along with the photo of his old tweet.
AMEN!! @richkleiman 🫡 pic.twitter.com/OZr9e1CVbY
— LeBron James (@KingJames) November 20, 2024
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Kleiman’s lengthy post on X on October 24 read: “With so much hate and negativity in the world today, it confuses me why some of National sports media still think that the best way to cover sports is through negative takes. 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?
It’s only clickbait 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. The Olympics and JJ and Bron’s show was the future of what this can and should all be.”
James followed that up with a farewell post as he went off the grid amid the Lakers’ six-game winning streak.
“And with that said, I’ll holla at y’all! Getting off social media for the time being. Y’all take care,” James wrote.
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
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LeBron James Hits Back at Critics Who Called Him a Liar
James’ exit from social media came after he called out his critics who accused him of lying on the internet about Dalton Knecht.
“I don’t know,” James told reporters when asked to compare Knecht’s game when he was with Tennessee and now with the Lakers. “The same [expletive] I said last year. And everybody on the internet calls me a liar all the time. They say I lie about every [expletive] thing. So what am I now? I’ve been said it. I watched him. I watched Tennessee a lot.”
Knecht is coming off a historic career game in the Lakers’ sixth straight win.
The 23-year-old rookie exploded for a career-high 27 points and matched the NBA’s single-game rookie record with nine 3-pointers to lead the Lakers in their 124-118 victory over the Utah Jazz.
In March, James praised Knecht, who also scored 37 points in the Volunteers’ Elite Eight loss to Zach Edey and Purdue.
“We watched that Purdue and Tennessee game because of Zach Edey and Knecht. Players, depending on who they are, will drive the attention when it comes to the viewership,” James said at the time.
LeBron James Discredits Lakers Front Office in Dalton Knecht Selection
While James is hyped that Knecht is a Laker, he believes it was a stroke of luck that he fell on the Lakers’ lap at No. 17 in the NBA draft.
“They [Lakers front office] didn’t ‘find’ DK,” James told reporters. “The other 16 teams [expletive] it up. Did anybody watch him? [Expletive]. They just didn’t [expletive] it up. You don’t ‘find’ a SEC Player of the Year.”
Knecht was a projected lottery pick after his breakout season at Tennessee, which James closely followed, but the rookie’s age became a factor for lottery teams who preferred to take a swing on younger players who could be developed into a star.
Knecht is making them regret their decision to pass up on him as he is now averaging 20.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists since he joined the Lakers starting lineup four games ago.
