LeBron James Stirs Up Controversy After Unfollowing Ben Simmons And Blake Griffin

LeBron James Stirs Up Controversy After Unfollowing Ben Simmons And Blake Griffin

LeBron James is seemingly on a mission to declutter his social media homepage or send a message as he embarked on a spree of unfollowing accounts on X, formerly Twitter. Per NBA Alerts, an account that tracks players’ activity on X, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar allegedly unfollowed Kendrick Perkins, Ben Simmons, and Blake Griffin in one hour.

James unfollowing Perkins is unsurprising. The four-time MVP has every right to be miffed at his former teammate after the latter accused him of attempting to steal Kyrie Irving’s moment when he claimed that he was mad that he was no longer playing alongside the Dallas Mavericks superstar. Perkins said,

“Well, why is he so mad? He had a chance to get himā€¦Here we go again, ‘Bron weaseling his way into somebody else’s moment. This is not about you; your team is at home. This is about the Mavs and the Celtics, but yet, you so mad and disappointed that you’re not Kyrie Irving’s running mate no more. Here we go again.”

While James’ passive-aggressive response to Perkins’ comment is justified, unfollowing Simmons and Griffin on X was perplexing. While some fans on social media speculated the reason behind it, others made jokes about the Lakers star’s unusual activity.

Fans wonder why LeBron James unfollowed Ben Simmons and Blake Griffin

LeBron James unfollowing two players who were compared to him when they entered the league and were expected to be contenders to dethrone him as the face of the NBA raised some eyebrows on social media. Blake Griffin and Ben Simmons may have caused it themselves with their inactivity on X, but some fans speculated there was more to the story, especially with the latter.

The Brooklyn Nets star came into the league with a lot of hype and was compared to James in his early years because of his playmaking ability, defensive prowess, and physical tools. The Lakers superstar admired the young star and his agent, Rich Paul, even signed him to Klutch Sports. However, injuries derailed his career, and he even left the agency last year, which some fans believe is why James unfollowed him on X.

https://twitter.com/ryanelderhorst/status/1799267646741082621?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

James’ reason is unclear but his decision to suddenly unfollow the two players touted to be his successors cannot be dismissed as a coincidence. Perhaps more accounts will hit the chopping block in the upcoming days and fans will undoubtedly keep close tabs on his social media activity to see who’s the next victim of his summer cleanse, if there is one.

Post Edited By: Sameen Nawathe
Ben Simmons blake griffin Kendrick Perkins LeBron James

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Jay Mahesh Lokegaonkar

Jay Lokegaonkar is a basketball journalist who has been following the sports as a fan 2005. He has worked in a slew of roles covering the NBA, including writer, editor, content manager, social media manager, and head of content since 2018. However, his primary passion is writing about the NBA. Especially throwback stories about the league's iconic players and franchises. Revisiting incredible tales and bringing scarcely believable stories to readers are one his main interests as a writer.

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