LeBron James Discusses Being a Player in Social Media Era, Dealing with Critics

LeBron James offered a dose of perspective Saturday when he was asked about dealing with criticism in the age of social media.

"If you're a celebrity, then you realize it's actually really bad for you if you pay attention to it," James said at his NBA Finals availability with the media. "Like, if you really pay attention, there's people out there that really try to tear you down. You have to realize that; one, you don't know who they are; two, they don't know what they're talking about; three, they've never stepped in your shoes or been in the light to understand what it means to have to perform or whatever the case may be.

"... But if I have some words of advice, if you're a part of it and it bothers you, then you probably should just delete it off your phone. That would be if it bothers you."

James—who is off social media for the playoffs, per usual—also provided a dose of humor when he was asked if he had seen tweets Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert sent praising his performance in advance of Game 1.

"I'm not on social media right now. I wasn't aware of that. It was his account, though, right?" James said, poking fun at Philadelphia 76ers general manager Bryan Colangelo's burner fiasco.