As the spouse of an avid NBA fan who is spending copious amounts of time reading and talking about the impending Lebron James decision, I was intrigued at the business and PR aspect of the issue. For those of you not “in the know,” Lebron James, the high-profile forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers, is a free agent preparing to announce in the next few weeks which NBA team he will be signing with; the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks or Miami Heat are all top contenders.
Talk has been heated since before the playoffs this spring, garnering suspicions as to where the tight-lipped James might end up. Now, within weeks of announcing his decision, it has been discovered that James has just created a Twitter account (KingJames). In a mere few hours, over 50,000 people have begun “following” the account in hopes that the decision will first be announced over the popular social media site. While Twitter is still verifying the authenticity of the account, fellow NBA star, Chris Paul, just tweeted that he convinced his buddy (James) to sign up on Twitter. Whether it’s an elaborate ploy to get media attention, or it’s part of a plan to announce his NBA future, the land of Twitter is abuzz with talk. In a sense, this buzz is a success in itself. Social media is an attempt to draw attention to events and news like this, getting people to talk about it and spread the word.
Whether it’s part of a grander scheme or not, it’s getting attention and giving Lebron James even more consideration to the issue. Tell us soon, Lebron, the wait is killing (some of) us!