Elon Musk Claims To Be Paying LeBron James' Twitter Verification

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SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 24: Tesla CEO Elon Musk leaves the Phillip Burton Federal Building on January 24, 2023 in San Francisco, California. Musk testified at a trial regarding a lawsuit that has investors suing Tesla and Musk over his August 2018 tweets saying he was taking Tesla private with funding that he had secured. The tweet was found to be false and cost shareholders billions of dollars when Tesla's stock price began to fluctuate wildly allegedly based on the tweet. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

It turns out that LeBron James isn't paying for his Twitter verification after all.

LeBron James was very vocal about not paying for his verification through Twitter Blue. Which is why it was such a shock to his followers when it seemed that James had purchased the subscription. However, it now seems that someone else may be footing the bill. Twitter CEO Elon Musk claims that he is paying for James' account to stay verified. According to Musk, he is personally paying for a few accounts on the social network.

Twitter unveiled its Twitter Blue subscription service on Thursday. When it was announced, many well-known celebrities and athletes were against the idea of paying for verification. James was one of the louder voices against making the move. James had tweeted that he would lose his check mark whenever the site finally rolled out the subscription service for all. But now it seems Musk could be paying for some of the most significant followed pages to keep their verification. One has to wonder if the larger accounts are keeping their verification by Musk. Keeping the largest accounts makes good business sense.

LeBron James Not Paying For Twitter Blue

Obviously, James is one of the most well-known athletes in North America. James' Twitter account has over 52 million followers. There have been worries among followers that unverified accounts could start a swell of fake verified accounts impersonating others. Many believe the move will lead to more fake news and more impersonations that would negatively affect the person being impersonated. However, Twitter is moving forward with the subscription service.

Musk is looking to make more revenue after his purchase of Twitter. Even the Metaverse is following in the footsteps of Musk. It has been rumored that soon Facebook and Instagram will ask users to pay for their verification on their sites. Do you feel that it is a good idea to ask users to pay for their verification on social media sites? Is it fair that those like LeBron James are having their verification paid for? Sound off with your thoughts on Twitter's latest move in our comment section. For the latest news in sports, keep it locked in right here with HNHH.

About The Author
Tyler Reed is a current Sports Writer for HotNewHipHop. He started back in March of 2023 with the company. During his time Tyler has shown his expertise in all things sports. Ranging from NBA news, all the way to boxing and MMA. He has bylines with several outlets, such as Busted Coverage, where Tyler has covered the NFL, College Football, WWE and beyond. Tyler has also written for Detroit Jock City, Wildcat Blue Nation and Swarm and Sting for the FanSided Network. Tyler is a massive Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Reds fan. Being from Kentucky, he chose connections to sports franchises that he enjoyed watching as a child. Unfortunately, his professional fandoms have only brought him pain. Tyler's hobbies outside of work include exercising and binge-watching the same shows he has watched for the last decade while endlessly scrolling through social media. His favorite hip-hop artists are Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Kentucky's own Jack Harlow.