The silliest story in Monday’s NBA news cycle involved LeBron James and his apparent unfollowing of the Cavaliers’ official team account on Twitter.
The Internet went wild with speculation as to what it might mean, because everything James does with his social media accounts is carefully crafted, and done with purpose.
It won’t stop the questions, but this time, he says, he simply wanted to regain some focus.
James finished with 33 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in Monday’s blowout win over the Nuggets, in what was only his second triple-double performance of the season. He was asked about the Twitter nonsense afterward, and paused for a moment before responding with “Next question,” and then ending the interview altogether.
https://twitter.com/barstoolsports/status/712125845373120512
Cleveland.com reported that James’ move was not part of some sinister free-agency plot, just his standard social media playoff preparation. James usually signs off all platforms during the postseason, which he calls Zero Dark 23, and this was apparently a preemptive strike.
And the team account was not the only one, according to the website:
James also unfollowed the Twitter account of Austin Carr, the Cavs’ in-game analyst for Fox and a team legend, whom James admires. He parted ways with the account of ESPN Cavs reporter Dave McMenamin and NBA reporter Chris Broussard, and Sports Illustrated’s Lee Jenkins. It was to Jenkins whom James dictated his essay announcing his return to Cleveland in the summer of 2014.
This makes some sense, but James has to know that any move he makes publicly, no matter how small, is going to be heavily scrutinized. And there’s a handy “mute” feature on Twitter that would have accomplished the exact same thing without drawing any attention at all.
A simple one-sentence explanation, especially after a monster individual performance that came during a 33-point victory, could have put all of this to rest. Instead, LeBron’s postgame reaction when asked about it just ended up making things worse.