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Why did LeBron James unfollow the Cavaliers on Twitter?

A mystery fit for a king.

 

Josh Katzowitz

Internet Culture

Posted on Mar 22, 2016   Updated on May 27, 2021, 1:36 am CDT

NBA star LeBron James has had a mysterious Twitter presence for the past few months, vaguely subtweeting his teammates while complimenting opponents as being the ideal kind of people with whom to play.

And those who question whether James really wants to remain with the Cleveland Cavaliers after this season picked up some interesting ammo on Monday when it was revealed that James had actually unfollowed the team’s Twitter account.

https://twitter.com/kanyecobain/status/712021922138214400

After the Cavs‘ win against the Nuggets on Monday, James—who played spectacularly, by the way—was asked about why he unfollowed his own team. James’ response was slightly uncomfortable.

After the game, SI.com reported that James had also unfollowed all members of the Cavaliers media and a few national reporters.

So, what in the hell is going on here? Cleveland.com might have the answer:

According to a source close to James … he did it as part of his process to prepare for the playoffs.

There is precedence for this. James puts away all forms of social media once the playoffs begin, to cut all distractions and sharpen his own focus on the task ahead. He calls it Zero Dark 23. He did it last year.

James’ unfollowing of the Cavs was sort of a preamble, the source said. He’s starting to pare down some of the “noise” without shutting off his account entirely.

Cleveland.com also noted that James, in recent days, has unfollowed 14 accounts, most of which are NBA-related. James could have put an end to the speculation by simply answering the question posed to him Monday night, but instead, he chose to remain silent. 

And the mystery lives on.  

Photo via Keith Allison/Flickr (CC BY SA 2.0)

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*First Published: Mar 22, 2016, 12:54 pm CDT