LeBron James isn’t just the King of Los Angeles. The Kid from Akron is also the King of Instagram as far as the NBA is concerned.
According to an article from Boardroom.tv, LeBron isn’t just an all-time great on the court. He is also an ‘all-time follow’ on Instagram with 155 million followers.
James has three times more followers than the second player on the list and since the article was written last June 16th, King James’ IG account now has 156 million followers as of June 27, 2023.
The King of social media
LeBron’s massive social media following isn’t just limited to Instagram. As of June 27, 2023, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar has 52.6 million and 27 million followers on Twitter and Facebook, respectively. That gives him an aggregate of 235.6 million social media followers, currently.
If we put that figure in perspective, that’s equivalent to 70.9% of the total population of the United States as of 2021 per statista.com. Looking at an even bigger picture, if LeBron James were a country, his total number of social media followers would put him 6th behind China, India, the United States, Indonesia, and Pakistan in terms of population as of mid-2022.
Last April, the NBA released its Top 10 most viewed players on social media during the 2023 season and not surprisingly, LeBron was on top of that list too with a gargantuan 1.3 billion views.
LeBron has more IG followers than the next four players on the list
Golden State’s two-time MVP Steph Curry had the second-most Instagram followers among NBA players with 52.5 million which is nearly just one-third of LBJ’s IG followers count. Perhaps a surprising third on the list is 2017 NBA MVP Russell Westbrook who once played with James in Purple and Gold. Known for his outlandish outfits and eccentric style, Russ has amassed 22.5 million Instagram followers.
Another former LeBron teammate, Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving is next on the list with 19.2 million followers. James and Irving led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the franchise’s first NBA title in 2016. At No. 5 is Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball who was a heavily-hyped prospect heading to the NBA, thanks mainly to his dad LaVar. Interestingly, Ball is also another former LeBron teammate as he played with LBJ in Los Angeles.
If we add the total number of IG followers of Curry, Westbrook, Irving, and Lonzo, the aggregate would not be enough to topple LeBron to the top of the mountain. Even if No. 6 Klay Thompson, who has 15.5 million followers, joined the group, LeBron would still be unrivaled. Having said that, James’ remarkable Instagram portfolio pales in comparison to the most popular athlete on Instagram, footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, who has a staggering 585 million Instagram followers.