Free agent LeBron James finally joins Twitter

Jul 6, 2010 - 8:36 PM By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer

AKRON, Ohio(AP) -- LeBron James has made one decision - he joined Twitter.

The NBA's most ballyhooed free agent opened an account on the social networking site Tuesday. Publicist Keith Estabrook confirmed the moniker kingjames is indeed LeBron, and the first tweet appeared at 4:15 p.m. EDT.

"Hello World, the Real King James is in the Building," it read, before going on to credit New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul for pushing him to open a Twitter feed.

It was not known whether James was going to post his own messages or have someone do it for him. He had been reluctant to join Twitter or Facebook and had even joked in the past about how other athletes discussed their personal lives online.

Paul, one of James' closest friends, posted on Twitter at midday Tuesday that while he couldn't persuade the two-time MVP to tell him which team he'll sign with, he talked him into joining the service.

Less than an hour after Paul's tweet, James had nearly 18,000 followers - even though he had yet to make a single post. He passed 90,000 before 4:30 p.m. Before the first message was posted, James' arrival on Twitter also led to a slew of comic proposals for his first tweet.

Under the bio heading on James' page it reads: King of Akron.

James has yet to announce where he'll play next season, a decision that could affect the future of several franchises and the city of Cleveland's economy. The 25-year-old Akron native has spent his first seven seasons as a pro with the Cavaliers.