LeBron James Joins Twitter

(AP) AKRON, Ohio — LeBron James has made one decision – he joined Twitter.

The NBA's most ballyhooed free agent opened an account on the social networking site Tuesday. Publicist Keith Estabrook confirms the monicker kingjames is indeed LeBron.

James had been reluctant to join Twitter or Facebook and had even joked in the past about how other athletes discussed their personal lives online.

Close friend Chris Paul posted on Twitter at midday Tuesday that while he couldn't persuade James to tell him which team he'll sign with, he talked him into joining the service. Less than an hour after Paul's tweet, James had nearly 18,000 followers – even though he had yet to make a single post.

Comments

[lockDown]

11:42 PM on 07/07/2010

If only people would hire and promote black men who DON'T play sports, but attend college and enter the workforce only to face discrimination when rising to the top. Too bad.

[WthyrBendragon]

08:56 AM on 07/07/2010

He's staying in Cleveland. Think about this... why have such a high profile announcement if you're just going to disappoint your most concentrated fan base and feed the negative press about yourself and all other professional athletes?

[RobertFromMN]

06:39 AM on 07/07/2010

ZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...................

[t iessa]

01:35 AM on 07/07/2010

A pretty good article about James and why he is referred to as "King James" can be found at http://www.stltoday.com/sports/other/article_77c8c867-9556-58b9-b81d-215933f90366.html

I think many on here don't know much about him or what kind of person he is or they wouldn't be making the nasty comments they are. If you haven't seen "More Than a Game" about LeBron and his 4 closest teammate from grade-school through high school, you ought to try to catch it. I saved it from MTV for my 13-year-old grandson to watch. It's all about teamwork and friendship. There are some good lessons in there besides understanding where LeBron came from

LeBron's a good guy which seems rare in today's sports world. I hope he stays in Cleveland but I understand him wanting to win a championship and doing what he needs to to achieve that goal.

[chiodo08]

10:14 AM on 07/07/2010

he's a narcissist that is bordering on self deification....

[hopefull2008]

01:10 AM on 07/07/2010

.. not clear yet if he has the heart of a champion ... Kobe 5 ... LeBron zero ... a lot of dancing, no rings.

[t iessa]

01:35 AM on 07/07/2010

LeBron's a champion in life. LeBron has class and Kobe has none.

[hopefull2008]

01:46 AM on 07/07/2010

Really ? You have no idea what he's like. You just choose to believe the hype. 12 months ago Tiger Woods was a great family man. It's a better bet to judge professional athletes by their on court performance. ... unless you happen to be living with them.

[therealone]

04:45 AM on 07/07/2010

Kobe 3 Shaq 5

[qdog112]

10:09 AM on 07/07/2010

Who's your math teacher? Kobe 5 , Shaq 4.

[houston we have aproblem]

09:17 PM on 07/06/2010

he can tweet my pinga

[Steve1]

08:48 PM on 07/06/2010

I am so sick of hearing about what this guy is or isn't going to do. Anyone who calls themselves "King James" and hasn't ever won a championship in 7 seasons in the league needs to just sign a contract and move on.

He's a great athlete, though he shrinks when it matters most in the playoffs.

[rongway1]

08:40 PM on 07/06/2010

Who is Lebron James?

[TexasChris]

07:09 PM on 07/06/2010

Who Cares. I am so over Lebron and his oversized ego.

[chiodo08]

08:29 PM on 07/06/2010

be careful you're about to "flagged"...his apostles are on notice

[Tacking it Easy]

08:36 PM on 07/06/2010

Fanned.

[Steve1]

08:49 PM on 07/06/2010

I agree! "King James" my you @$$.

[silkphoenix]

06:52 PM on 07/06/2010

Anyone calls himself as 'King James" has an ego as big as his head! Nobody deserves to call himself the king, I don't care who you are!

[Steve1]

08:49 PM on 07/06/2010

Exactly.

[WthyrBendragon]

08:51 AM on 07/07/2010

Except, he didn't pick the nickname. It's been thrust upon him by people watching him play for over 10 years now. Face it, his name is James and he performs at the top of his profession. Mr. James seldom actually uses it himself.

I know many non-fans who have actually met the man and can tell you that if you spend just a few minutes with him you discover that while he takes his professional self extremely seriously he is also very well grounded and self deprecating. Not without faults but, by no means is he the arrogant bully so many people try to portray him as.

[silkphoenix]

04:16 PM on 07/07/2010

But he did use the name "King James" for his twitter. Someone else might have opened the account and tweet for him, but he has to be the one who approved using the name "King James".

[skippy20008]

06:33 PM on 07/06/2010

* BREAKING NEWS: LEBRON JAMES TO HAVE ITALIAN FOOD TONIGHT *

RIck Bucher of ESPN reports that James will dine at an undisclosed Italian restaurant. "It was either that, or Chinese food," said a close friend of James who requested anonymity. "LeBron said he might have Chinese tomorrow night."

[Steve1]

08:52 PM on 07/06/2010

Chris Breausard (sp?) on ESPN is the worst reporter in the world. I swear James, Bosh, and Wade just leak information to him and then sit back and laugh at how he then goes on to report it as fact.

"They're all going to play in Miami"...'They're all going to play together in Chicago"....today, "Bosh and James will play together in Cleveland...maybe, possibly....hell, I don't know." "Wade is going to play with Amare in New York...very possibly, but probably not, sort of."

ESPN just has to report every time one of these free agents farts.

[PTBAA1776]

05:31 PM on 07/06/2010

What LeBron really needs is to get Chris Bosh to join him in Cleveland!!!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chris-Bosh-Join-the-Cleveland-Cavaliers/130440980325757

[WthyrBendragon]

08:52 AM on 07/07/2010

I would accept that. Would Chris Bosh?

[susan166]

05:04 PM on 07/06/2010

Every movement, James has made since his top-seeded Cavaliers were eliminated drawn from the second round of the playoffs has a lot of interest. So, of course, there are now about whether his much-anticipated announcement to be made to speak through his Twitter account and / or personal website. Lebron James Twitter http://usspost.com/lebron-james-social-networking-site-twitter-11897/

[skippy20008]

05:01 PM on 07/06/2010

A seminal moment. We will all remember what we were doing when we learned this.

[t iessa]

01:37 AM on 07/07/2010

LOL!!!

[EStreetShuffler]

04:23 PM on 07/06/2010

Please, LeBron, just don't be like so many other athletes who Tweet stuff that has no business being shared with thousands of strangers and the media. You're ticked off at someone? Don't go to Twitter. Want to have a conversation or even an argument with someone? Call him up. Don't carry on like a 15-year-old messaging friends on Facebook.

Please.