Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James made it clear that he won’t pay to be verified on Twitter once the social media app removes blue checkmarks from legacy verified accounts.
Since Elon Musk took over Twitter, he has launched the subscription to Twitter Blue, which allows users to have a blue verified checkmark on their profile as well as a few other perks. The service is available for $8 per month or $84 per year.
James is known for being smart with his money, revealing in 2017 that he doesn’t even pay for music, saying that he uses “Pandora with commercials.”
Welp guess my blue ✔️ will be gone soon cause if you know me I ain’t paying the 5. 🤷🏾♂️
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 31, 2023
Musk’s new system forces companies and organizations to pay for verified users.
Any individual person’s Twitter account affiliated with a verified organization is automatically verified https://t.co/5j6gx6UKHm
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 24, 2023
“Any organization that purchases a subscription to Verified Organizations will receive a gold checkmark and square avatar if they are a business or non-profit, or a grey checkmark and circular avatar if they are a governmental or multilateral organization,” Twitter’s website says.
While an organization can nominate those affiliated with it for verification, it will cost the company an additional $50 a month on top of the $1,000-a-month Verified Organizations subscription fee, excluding tax.
The whole new process of verification seems to be a part of Musk’s plan to make the social media company profitable, but it has also led to impersonation attempts with users who have subscribed to Twitter Blue.
For celebrities, athletes, journalists and other organizations, it may not be worth paying the subscription price for Musk’s new Twitter plan since it has become the norm for others to have blue check marks.
Twitter plans to wind down its “legacy” verified accounts starting on Saturday, April 1.
On April 1st, we will begin winding down our legacy verified program and removing legacy verified checkmarks. To keep your blue checkmark on Twitter, individuals can sign up for Twitter Blue here: https://t.co/gzpCcwOpLp
Organizations can sign up for https://t.co/RlN5BbuGA3…
— Verified (@verified) March 23, 2023
James, who has 52.8 million followers on Twitter, should have no problem reaching his massive fan base whether he has a blue check mark or not.
For now, the Lakers superstar is focused on leading the Lakers to the playoffs. He recently returned from a foot injury, and Los Angeles has moved into the No. 9 spot in the Western Conference.
Los Angeles has a huge matchup on Friday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are also in the mix for a playoff or play-in spot in the Western Conference.
The four-time champion is hoping to get into the postseason and add to his insanely impressive postseason resume this season.
