LeBron James keeps Twitter blue check after refusing to pay for it; Elon Musk suggests he’s footing the bill

On Thursday Twitter began removing the checkmarks of verified accounts unless they paid for a Twitter Blue subscription, but NBA star LeBron James kept his blue check even though he previously said he would never pay for it. However, it turns out James may be getting a complimentary subscription.

“Welp guess my blue will be gone soon cause if you know me I ain’t paying the 5,” James tweeted on March 31.

He seems to have stayed true to his word. The Verge reported that James’ longtime media advisor, Adam Mendelsohn, said the Lakers star has not paid for a subscription. According to the report, a Twitter employee emailed James to “extend a complimentary subscription to Twitter Blue for your account, @kingjames, on behalf of Elon Musk.”

However, USA Today reported that a person familiar with the situation said James declined the offer when Twitter reached out.

Musk, Twitter’s owner and CEO, confirmed on the social media platform that he is offering this benefit to some celebrities.

“I’m paying for a few personally,” Musk wrote.

Other NBA players such as Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Ja Morant used to have legacy verified accounts but lost their blue checks on Thursday. 

After Musk bought Twitter, users who were not verified were allowed to buy the checkmark with a Twitter Blue subscription of $8 a month, which also adds extra features like editing tweets. Twitter users who were already verified had been able to keep their verification symbol next to their username until recently. However, the company announced in late March that the legacy verified program was ending soon.

James has more important things to worry about at the moment as he and the Lakers are currently playing the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the NBA playoffs. The Lakers won Game 1, but the series is now tied 1-1. Game 3 is set for Saturday at 10 p.m. ET in Los Angeles.