Social media has become a staple of the NBA diet for fans, players, the media, and just about everyone else involved. Breaking news, more often than not, happens via Twitter, while Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. all offer fans unique and interactive platforms to connect with their favorite players.
But it can also be a huge distraction. LeBron James, for instance, is one of the most popular athletes in this world with upwards of 30 million Twitter followers. It’s hard enough to keep up with everything, but the relentless criticism can also take its toll as the scrutiny tends to compound during the postseason.
That’s why, in keeping with what’s become an annual tradition, LeBron is once again going cold turkey on all his social media accounts as soon as the postseason begins. He explained his decision to get off of social media to Bleacher Report.
“My focus hasn’t changed,” James said. “[The current social media climate] doesn’t matter to me. We all know how this season has been. With our ball club and all the noise that’s either irrelevant or relevant—whatever the case may be—for me, maintaining my focus hasn’t changed.”
This means that in a few days, we’re almost certainly going to see the 2018 version of this tweet.
Zero Dark Thirty- 23 activated. #StriveForGreatness
— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 17, 2016
The Cavs wrap up the regular season against the Knicks at home on Wednesday night, yet there is still some uncertainty about their playoff seeding as they sit just a half-game behind the third-place Sixers, who have back-to-back games against the Hawks and Bucks to finish things off.
Cleveland could end up entering the postseason as a No. 4 seed, which would inevitably spark all sorts of criticism from LeBron detractors, so it’s probably for the best that he won’t be listening.
