Did LeBron James go back on his word and pay to keep Twitter verification?
By Lior Lampert
LeBron James made it clear that he would not be paying for his blue checkmark Twitter verification when the time came. So why does he still have it?
Verified blue checkmarks were officially wiped after weeks of promises on Thursday.
Twitter Blue is now an opt-in subscription service. Owner and CEO of Twitter, Elon Musk, has instilled this new feature starting at $8 per month. The intent of this is to “elevate quality conversations on Twitter.”
It appeared that LeBron James might be paying for his Twitter Blue check even though he very adamantly stated he wouldn’t.
What changed between Mar. 31 and now?
Is Elon Musk trolling LeBron James with Twitter Blue status?
According to Alex Heath of Verge, James received an email from an employee of Twitter that had asked him if he’d like to have his subscription taken care of by Elon Musk. The King declined the offer yet somehow his account still indicates that he paid for his checkmark.
We may have gotten our answer. It seems as though Elon Musk has taken it upon himself to personally pay for particular accounts to be verified. The real question is, why James? What is Musk trying to accomplish? Or, is this truly LeBron James having a sudden change of heart?
Musk did not seem to openly state that he is paying for James’ subscription specifically, but it makes you wonder what other Twitter Blue verifications he is funding. It’ll be interesting to see if any news regarding other athletes and celebrities receiving a similar offer from Musk emerges.
Whatever the case may be, it is fascinating to be discussing a non-basketball storyline surrounding James despite him and the Lakers currently participating in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
Game 3 is set to take place on Saturday in Los Angeles after both teams split the first two games in Memphis.
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