Social Media or IRL, It's LeBron James' World: 48 Hours of Memes and Madness
CLEVELAND — At 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday, roughly 500 children from Cleveland's local DECA program piled into Quicken Loans Arena for this season's Career Day, an afternoon of listening to various Cavaliers employees discuss their day-to-day responsibilities, shedding light on the numerous paths one could take to be a part of a professional sports organization without having to jump, pass or dunk.
At the same time these students were to soak up an afternoon's worth of information, Cavaliers forward LeBron James posted a video of himself listening to the newest album from Mississippi hip-hop artist Big K.R.I.T wherein the four-time MVP listens on as the lyrics "Happiness can’t be bought or sold, I learned my lesson—now I see what fame will really get you" rolled on. James nodded with his eyes closed, offering that the song was "on point."
Thirty minutes into the presentation, as the students filled a sizable portion of the lower bowl behind the team's benches, they were treated to a surprise that had not been on the day's agenda as James, clad in Beats By Dre headphones and shorts that would make John Stockton blush, decided that he was going to begin his pregame routine roughly four hours before the night's nationally televised game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
This sequence of events was odd for two reasons. For starters, James typically gets his pregame workout in closer to the 120-minute mark. More importantly, it would be the first time James had shown himself after being in the headlines for much of the previous 12 hours.
Approximately 10 p.m., Monday
Five minutes after the Boston Celtics won their ninth straight game, James posts a cryptic image on Instagram—a meme of the animated character Arthur with a clenched fist—with the succinct caption of "Mood..." Internet speculation ran rampant, many pinning the post to his frustrations coupled with the successes of former teammate Kyrie Irving, while others opted to spin the wheel of conjecture, linking the image to a variety of web-based rumors.
Teammates Dwyane Wade, Jeff Green and Isaiah Thomas comment on the image. Wade and Green offer nothing but a handful of crying emojis, leading to even more discussion as to what James is referencing. The 5'9" Thomas adds levity to the situation, asking if James needs him "to handle somebody cuz?"
10:30 a.m., Tuesday
Media members file into the team's practice facility at Cleveland Clinic Courts in hopes of obtaining clarification on what transpired the night before. Not long before James posted the Arthur meme, his handle appeared as one of the several thousand who liked a House of Highlights video of Irving crossing up Hawks guard Dennis Schroder. What changed?
Adding to the mystery is the news that James' friend Eric Bledsoe is traded from the Phoenix Suns to the team James would be playing that night, the Milwaukee Bucks. Bledsoe is represented by Rich Paul, the same agent who represents James. A week earlier, James told Bleacher Report that Bledsoe, who was staging his own social media standoff with the Suns, had not reached out for consultation. James affirmed that he did not reach out as well.
The door opens to the practice court, and the members file toward the section of padding that is used for all interviews. It is at this point when it becomes known that James, who typically addresses the local media during Cleveland's morning shootaround sessions before games, is excused for what a team spokesman deemed a "personal issue." Instead, the team provides shooting guard JR Smith, who was asked to weigh in on the topic in his teammate's absence.
"I can see that," Smith says. "I can see that. Everybody is beating everybody, except the Celtics. The way the league is playing right now, it's kind of haywire. He knows as good as anybody that you can't get too high on the highs or too low on the lows."
2:55 p.m., Tuesday
As he is wont to do, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green inserts his name into the soap opera, posting his own Instagram upload. Also with the caption "Mood...," the image is simply one of Green in a celebratory pose, head cocked to the right and sticking his tongue out at the Oracle Arena crowd.
Green's teammate Steph Curry comments with "Bruh" and five crying emojis. This was no longer a James-only situation as the rest of the NBA was beginning to pile on the mystique.
3:23 p.m., Tuesday
James' kingjames handle is listed as being one of Green's newest Instagram followers. It is also listed among the 196,000 users to like the image to that point.
5:21 p.m., Tuesday
Green claims his upload had nothing to do with James', and that he simply "thought the pic was dope." He adds that fans should be careful to make assumptions regarding the Boston Celtics, but follows up with a claim that he is unaware of what the impetus was for the initial post.
A little before 6 p.m., Tuesday
James attempts to provide clarity on the situation, following up on Green's post with one of his own, uploading an image that included four different occasions of himself clenching a fist next to the original Arthur meme, adding his ever-popular #StriveForGreatness hashtag.
Among the 11,000 commenters to chime in: the Cavaliers' official account, James' business manager Maverick Carter and James' DJ and friend, Steph Floss.
While this may have been offered as reasoning, it would only serve to fuel the fire that had been burning for the duration of the day.
7 p.m., Tuesday
James sprints out of the tunnel to lead the Cavaliers through their pregame layup line. This raises eyebrows, as not only is James typically one of the last out of the tunnel, but he is purposely running to the midcourt line before each layup and subsequent rebound as if he is a child in tryouts looking to earn the eyes of coaches who would later determine his fate.
After missing pregame introductions for the second consecutive game, James takes to center court for the tip, serving as the team's center during jump balls, where the game—lost in the shuffle of social media and speculation—would finally take place.
The talk up to this point may have been about missed shootarounds and cryptic memes, but in this moment, James would officially tie Michael Jordan with 1,072 games played.
7:27 p.m., Tuesday
With roughly five minutes left in the first quarter, James would corral the ball at the right wing, shimmying his shoulders a few times before burying a turnaround jump shot over Bucks rising star Giannis Antetokounmpo. He would play all 12 minutes of the first quarter, one that includes 10 points on just four shots, and give a forearm to the jugular from Milwaukee center Thon Maker.
Television broadcasters had plenty to say about James' past 24 hours. James, however, was beginning to change the narrative with his play.
8:13 p.m., Tuesday
James would voice his displeasure with the night's officiating crew. Antetokounmpo would break off a spin move near the left block where he would get a bucket and a foul call. James had hoped for a traveling violation, but to no avail.
No clenched fists were spotted during this process.
8:47 p.m., Tuesday
While Antetokounmpo dazzles with an array of dribble drives, post-up plays, blocked shots and highlight dunks in transition, James quietly notches his 20th point of the night, a give-and-go opportunity that included a beautiful pass from Kevin Love as LeBron slashes to the rim.
9:15 p.m., Tuesday
Having received his final bout of rest for the evening, James buries a three-pointer from the right corner to bring his scoring total to 23 points. Points 24 and 25 come seven minutes later as James drives to the rim and Milwaukee's defense consists of attempting to take a charge. After two free throws, James sinks yet another turnaround jump shot from the right side, this one occurring at 9:25 p.m.
9:30 p.m., Tuesday
The game is put on ice as James is fouled in transition by Milwaukee's Khris Middleton. James sinks the first free throw before missing the second, corrals his own rebound and hurls the basketball into the air as the horn blows and the clock shows zeroes.
James and the Cavs close out a close game, something they failed to do Sunday against Atlanta—the same team Kyrie and the C's had taken down Monday.
9:57 p.m., Tuesday
As local media waited outside the team's locker room, former Cavaliers shooting guard and current coach Damon Jones jokingly walks past, saying "LeBron's not speaking tonight," causing initial concern to those who had waited more than 24 hours to hear what the small forward had to say.
The anxiety would be short-lived.
9:58 p.m., Tuesday
James, seated in his corner locker, powders his feet, tosses on a black LeBron James-branded T-shirt, gray Nike sweats, a pair of turquoise necklaces and exclusive Nike LeBron 11s. He pushes a chair that included a towel and two iPhones to the side, tosses on a black hooded sweatshirt, applies chapstick and cologne, and looks up as a horde of video cameras and voice recorders wait patiently in the balance.
10:05 p.m., Tuesday
James is finally asked about the meme he posted 26 hours earlier, the one that caused such a commotion throughout the entire day. He looked up with a smile and simply stated:
"I like Arthur. That's OK, right?"
James then walks out of Quicken Loans Arena with a much-needed win in hand and a four-game road trip waiting in the wings. His "mood..." was much more jovial than it was 24 hours earlier. The catch, of course, is how long this current mood lasts.
