LeBron James Gets to Keep His Twitter Blue Check Mark, And No He Didn’t “Pay the $5”

Thursday 4/20 was a historic day in the Twitterverse, as it marked the day Elon Musk would snatch legacy blue check marks away from verified users.

As celebrities and notable names began to bid farewell to their blue checks, fans quickly noticed NBA star LeBron James still had his verified status after famously quoting Martin Lawrence’s TV show character, saying, “I ain’t paying the $5.”

Welp guess my blue ✔️ will be gone soon cause if you know me I ain’t paying the 5. 🤷🏾‍♂️

— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 31, 2023

While many concluded they had caught the NBA star in a lie (an often trending topic online), James’ longtime media advisor, Adam Mendelsohn, told The Verge he hasn’t paid to be verified.

Instead, a Twitter employee e-mailed James’ team to “extend a complimentary subscription to Twitter Blue for your account, @kingjames, on behalf of Elon Musk,” the outlet confirmed.

Musk later said in a tweet that he’s “paying personally” for Twitter Blue upgrades for a few accounts.

Other notable names who still have their legacy blue checks as of Thursday include Stephen King, Tom Brady, and Ice T.

We love a generous CEO!

I’m paying for a few personally

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 20, 2023