Twitter verification feature sees fake LeBron James account get blue tick and ask for an "official" trade request from LA Lakers
An impersonator has targeted LeBron James on Twitter. After the social media siter rolled out a new feature that allows users to pay $8 per month for a verification check, things didn't go so well for King James. An account posing as James quickly changed its profile picture to match the NBA great and paid for a verification check before requesting a trade.
The news of "James" requesting a trade quickly took over social media as fans were caught off guard by the tweet. In the midst of the chaos, it was discovered that the account was an impersonator. As others have since pointed out, James isn't the only one to have an impersonator.
Longtime NFL writer Adam Schefter was also victimized when an account posing as him shared a false report that Las Vegas Raiders Josh McDaniels had been fired.
The final nail in the coffin regarding the situation came after the @KingJamez account had its verification revoked. Following that, the account was suspended after violating Twitter's terms of service.
Below you can see a collection of the Tweets as well as a screenshot of the suspended account.
Also, below you can see an attached tweet of the suspended account, which originally created the fake tweet requesting a trade from the Lakers.
LMAOOOOOO @KingJamez already got suspended. $8 was well worth it though https://t.co/6t6pKI7jxI
LeBron James and the Lakers' rocky start
It's no secret that LeBron James and the Lakers have gotten off to a rough start this season. The team currently sits 14th in the Western Conference with an abysmal 2-8 record.
Unfortunately for James, he wound up missing the team's 139-116 loss to the Utah Jazz on Monday with a foot injury. The news came on the heels of James being seen on the sidelines attending to his foot during a game the previous week. Wednesday night, when the team takes on the LA Clippers in a highly anticipated battle for LA, James will be back on the court.
Any truth to trade rumors?
Given that the team has had a tough start, trade rumors have continued to surface. Going into the season, it seemed as though former MVP Russell Westbrook would be on the trade block. After coach Darvin Ham transitioned Westbrook to a sixth-man role, the veteran point guard has begun to thrive.
The talk then shifted towards Anthony Davis, who has missed significant time over the course of the last two seasons due to injuries. With Davis visibly in pain throughout the first ten games, many wondered whether he would be able to remain healthy. Despite that and the team's rocky start, Darvin Ham has remained confident that the team will turn things around.
As the old saying goes, where there's smoke there's fire. However, in this case it sounds as though there's no fire surrounding the fake James tweet asking for a trade.