"Even Elon Musk gave him the free X" - NBA fans lose it as LeBron James is spotted watching WCF Game 2 on illegal stream

LeBron James’ offseason started when the LA Lakers lost a heartbreaking 108-106 decision to the Denver Nuggets in April.

For the second straight year, the four-time MVP was eliminated from the playoffs by Nikola Jokic and Co. James said in his exit interview that his family will take the front seat now that his NBA campaign is over.

James may be in his offseason now but remains an avid fan of the game. He often gives comments about postseason games and engages fans on social media. This year, he went to Cleveland to watch Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between his former team the Cavaliers and the Celtics.

Like most basketball fans, LeBron James is quite creative in catching NBA action when he can’t sit courtside. On Friday, the LA Lakers superstar was spotted watching Game 2 of the Dallas Mavericks versus Minnesota Timberwolves series on StreamEast.

The site is known for streaming sporting events like basketball, football and others without a license.

Fans quickly reacted to the billionaire using the site to watch Game 2 of the Mavs-Timberwolves series:

“Even Elon Musk gave him the free x (twitter) account because lebron said i’m not paying for X account”

A fan reacts to LeBron James using StreamEast to watch the Western Conference finals.

One fan complained about how the viral video will affect the everyday Joes:

“A damn-near billionaire about to get the site taken down for us common men smh”

Another fan can’t fault the All-NBA forward for using the said platform:

“Please dont blame him. Illegal streaming sites have better UI than actual media platforms these days”

@tboe3D declared:

“THE KING IS A MAN OF THE PEOPLE”

In 2023, X, formerly Twitter, got rid of the famous blue checks for users who don’t want to pay for account verification.

James’ longtime confidante Adam Mendelsohn confirmed that Elon Musk, the site’s owner, allowed the NBA superstar to have the same badge as a compliment. Musk did it because the 20x All-Star staunchly repeated his stance not to pay even a dollar to get the blue or gold mark.

It didn’t surprise fans that he would use StreamEast to check on the action despite having the means to get an NBA League Pass.

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LeBron James once blasted the NBA League Pass interface

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the NBA, players and fans to adapt to a new world that was reeling from deaths worldwide. Because travel was strictly curtailed, watching games online became an even bigger hit for safety reasons.

In December 2020, LeBron James said about how the NBA League Pass functioned:

“Hello, @NBA Gametime App. Why does all these games say live if none of them are on yet? Can we put the times on them until the game actually start? Also, the BOX SCORE is kinda weird too. Asking for a friend by the way.”

Because James called the league out on social media, the account manager had no choice but to reply. It assured the basketball star and the friend he was asking for help from that “We’re on the case.”

The NBA must have improved the functionality of the app. Still, that hasn’t stopped LeBron James from using StreamEast to watch his fellow players play in the postseason.