by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

April 21, 2023

LeBron James Still Has Blue Check on Twitter But Only Because Elon Musk is ‘Paying For a Few Personally’

After publicly stating that he would never pay for the blue check verification on Twitter, Los Angeles Lakers player LeBron James has kept the blue check on his profile. Yet, under the revised Twitter policy, users must pay a monthly fee to maintain the blue check or obtain one. So, since James still has one, there was speculation that he may have caved and paid for his blue check, but Elon Musk has come out to say that he has personally paid for a few, validating James’ claim that he won’t pay for one.

LeBron James (Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports)

According to a post by TitterDaily on the social media platform, Musk admitted to keeping several celebrities’ blue checks by stating that he is “paying for a few personally.”

T(w)itter Daily News was reporting that some celebrities “have been offered a complimentary Twitter Blue subscription ‘on behalf of Elon Musk.’” 

Pop Base mentioned a few celebrities that had maintained their checks, including James and Stephen King, who also stated that he refused to purchase the service. Musk responded to the tweet by saying it’s only three celebrities, James, King, and Star Trek’s William Shatner.

“Just Shatner, LeBron and King”

Previously, the blue check on Twitter was like a badge of honor. It was given to celebrities, athletes, politicians, and notable people and companies to verify that they authentically represent the person and/or company on the social media platform. That changed recently. Under Musk, Twitter’s new owner, the verification is open to anyone willing to pay a monthly fee, changing the verification’s meaning.


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