- LeBron James recently said he would step away from social media
The New York Mets’ official X account mocked LeBron James on Thursday night following the Lakers star’s announcement that he would be taking a break from social media.
The 39-year-old announced the news the night before to his millions of followers on X (formerly known as Twitter) and Instagram. to write: ‘And with that said, I’ll be cheering you all on! Stay off social media for a while. Everyone pay attention.’
James also added a peace sign emoji and a crown emoji to the post.
With MLB spring training not scheduled to begin until late February, the Mets’ account announced they would be going on hiatus as well — by Copy James’ message verbatim.
Reactions to the team’s post were mixed, with one fan telling the Mets to “don’t mock my goat.”
LeBron James recently announced that he is taking a break from social media use
And the Mets themselves announced a social media hiatus by making fun of James
Former Braves pitcher John Rocker also had a strong response, though he didn’t seem to pick up on the James reference.
“What a stupid version of a miserable franchise,” he wrote.
However, many others found the tribute humorous, with one even claiming it was “one of the best posts this account has ever done.”
James has been known to take social media breaks throughout his career, especially during the playoffs, which he used to call “Zero Dark Thirty-23.”
The four-time champion is believed to have started the tradition in 2013, although he put an end to it during the NBA’s Covid bubble for the 2019-2020 postseason when NBA players were away from their families.
James didn’t post on X last year.
On Wednesday, James announced the hiatus on social media following a post from Rich Kleiman – Kevin Durant’s longtime manager – criticizing the negativity in sports coverage.
‘We can all recognize that sport is the last part of society that universally brings people together. So why can’t coverage do the same? It’s only clickbait if you say it,” Kleiman wrote on X.
James is known to have played ‘Zerk Dark Thirty-23’ during his career before the playoffs
At age 39, he is now in his 22nd NBA season and seventh with the Lakers
“If the platform is that big, you can make the change and let us all escape the negativity in real life. I think it’s all a waste of breath. The Olympics and JJ (Redick) and Bron’s show were the future of what this all can and should be.”
James posted a screenshot of the message and wrote, “AMEN!!,” along with a greeting emoji, before publishing his sign-off post separately.
James was also active on social media before and after the US presidential election, when she shared an anti-Donald Trump video.
And after the Republicans’ victory, LeBron took to Instagram to send a message to 10-year-old daughter Zhuri.
“HEAVY ON MY HEART AND MIND, THIS IS MY PRINCESS,” he wrote alongside a photo of him holding his young girl.
“Promise I’ll protect you with everything I have and more!! WE DON’T NEED THEIR HELP!’