LeBron James has unfollowed Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs on Instagram.
The unfollowing was noted by a Lakers fanpage Saturday, and sparked a storm of speculation as to where he stands on the scandal surrounding his old friend.
James‘ son, 16-year-old high school standout Bryce, was seen vacationing with Diddy‘s daughters just last month, as a sex trafficking probe into the mogul persists.
Launched the month before with a raid at his estates in LA and Miami, the investigation stems from accusations of sexual abuse dating back decades.
One of the allegations involved a minor, and new footage unveiled Friday showed Combs assaulting his then-girlfriend Casandra ‘Cassie’ Ventura in an LA hotel in 2016. Some said it will add more urgency to the probe, which remains ongoing.
Not one for scandal, James, 39, scrubbed the 54-year-old shortly thereafter – sparking a chorus of comments as to why and what the move means.
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Lebron James unfollowed longtime friend Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs at some point Friday or Saturday
The unfollowing was noted by a Lakers fanpage Saturday, and sparked a storm of speculation as to where he stands on the sex scandal surrounding his old friend
Diddy is seen violently assaulting Cassie in 2016 surveillance footage
‘LeBron has UNFOLLOWED Diddy on IG,’ @LakeShowYo wrote, sharing a grab of James’s ‘Diddy-less’ list of preferred profiles as proof.
Many were quick to praise James’ PR team, which has famously kept the athlete out of the less-than-favorable limelight in recent years.
That comes in contrast to several of his NBA forebears and other leagues as well, along with those who have had their names grace career-hampering headlines since – with Oklahoma City’s Josh Giddy and fired forward Jontay Porter coming to mind.
As a result, several praised Klutch Sports, the agency that has represented James since 2012 – his tenth year in the league.
‘Klutch is too fast man,’ wrote one user in reply, as he pegged it as a strategic public relations decision.
‘LeBron is the only celebrity who has had zero scandals. He knows how to dodge any mess,’ added a like-minded onlooker.
‘LeUnfollow you,’ another joked, as others hailed the decorated vet for taking a moral stance.
‘Common Lebron W,’ wrote one person under such an impression.
Added another: ‘That’s why he the GOAT.’
James’s apparent scrubbing of the 54-year-old from his professional profile sparked a chorus of comments as to what the move means in the grand scheme. Some praised the 39-year-old’s PR outfit, which has kept him out of trouble for more than a decade – unlike other athletes
Others more invested in the status of feds’ probe into Combs commented on the timing of the sudden unfollow – which came just hours after CNN aired an earth-shattering glimpse of Combs assaulting his then-girlfriend in 2016.
It shows him shirtless with a towel wrapped around his waist chasing a then 29-year-old Ventura down the hall at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City as she tries to get into an elevator, before grabbing her by the hair and slamming her to the floor.
The All About the Benjamins artist proceeds to kick her repeatedly before dragging her back to their shared room.
He was also seen hurling a glass vase at the singer, who went on to file a civil lawsuit against Combs last year, before it was settled in a single day.
The video is not related to the probe but is still drawing attention – and for James, was seemingly the straw that broke the camel’s back for his hesitance to distance himself from the R&B performer.
‘Lebron has UNFOLLOWED Diddy on IG after 2019 surveillance leaked online,’ wrote one user of the suspicious timing.
Another added: ‘Lebron James has unfollowed Sean ‘Diddy Combs on Instagram, ending their longstanding friendship and party partnership.’
Meanwhile, new footage unveiled Friday showed Combs assaulting his then-girlfriend Casandra ‘Cassie’ Ventura in an LA hotel in 2016
Others more invested in the status of feds’ probe into Combs commented on the timing of the sudden unfollow – which came just hours after CNN aired an earth-shattering glimpse of Combs assaulting his then-girlfriend in 2016.
He was also seen hurling a glass vase at the singer, who went on to file a civil lawsuit against Combs last year, before it was settled in a single day. The pair are pictured together in Hollywood two days after the incident
The former InterContinental hotel in Century City, Los Angeles, where Diddy allegedly attacked then 29-year-old Ventura
It caused panic due an admission made by James about Diddy’s now infamous get-togethers – ‘there’s no party like a Diddy party.’
Instantly fueling swirling speculation about his stance on the issue, some celebs – like accused PED cheat Ryan Garcia – chimed in.
“Yo wtf Lebron you good?” the outspoken boxer wrote on X, as the James clan has long had homes in Miami and LA where Combs’ compounds were located.
‘I don’t think [L]ebron would take part in any of the atrocities that [D]iddy was involved with,’ the 25-year-old went on, a few weeks removed from his dubious victory over Devin Haney.
‘But we need to hear your story and have you clarify what this is???” he went on to ask – a request that even now has gone unanswered.
But the move by James seemed to speak for itself – a month after his second born son behind NBA draft prospect Bronny, 19, appeared to not get the memo.
The pair’s so-called ‘party partnership’ had already come into question back in March, when an old Instagram live video of James and Combs – who have been friends since the 2000s – resurfaced. It caused panic due an admission made by James about Diddy’s now infamous get-togethers
Instantly fueling swirling speculation about his stance on the issue, some celebs – like accused PED cheat Ryan Garcia – chimed in. e need to hear your story and have you clarify what this is???” he went on to ask – a request that even now has gone unanswered.
Bryce, instead, was seen vacationing with Diddy‘s also teenage daughters Jessie and D’Lila in Turks and Caicos, dancing on a beach in the Caribbean islands as seen in a clip posted to TikTok.
In October, Bryce appeared to take one the twins to homecoming at his Sierra Canyon High School, where both of Diddy’s daughter are cheerleaders.
Last month, Diddy was seen with his twins leaving a Top Golf location in Miami hours before the rapper’s alleged drug mule, 25-year-old Brendan Paul, was arrested by Miami-Dade Police and Homeland Security agents at Opa-Locka Executive Airport.
Paul, who previously played for Syracuse’s basketball team, was referred to as Diddy’s ‘drug mule’ in a $30million lawsuit filed by Rodney ‘Lil Rod’ Jones, which alleged Combs coerced Jones to solicit prostitutes and pressured him to have sex with them over the course of several years.
The complaint, the fifth against Combs since November, alleged he was involved in ‘acquir[ing] and distribut[ing] Combs drugs and guns’.
In the suit from Ventura filed and settled in November, his former protégé and girlfriend also alleged years of sexual abuse under the rapper’s yolk, including rape.
The lawsuit also claimed he regularly forced her to have sex with male prostitutes while he filmed them – claims that echo some of the others aired by other women.
But the move by James seemed to speak for itself – a month after his second born son behind NBA draft prospect Bronny, 19, appeared to not get the memo.
LeBron James’ son Bryce (right) appeared to take one of Diddy’s daughter to his homecoming last October. All are in their teens and still in highschool
James and Diddy have been friends since the early 2000s, after which they both had residences in Miami in LA
Diddy breaks his silence after shocking video of Cassie beating surfaces
On Sunday, Combs broke his silence on the video of him beating Ventura, saying on Instagram, ‘I hit rock bottom, but I make no excuses.’
Looking into the camera, he went on to add : ‘So difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, sometimes you got to do that. I was f***ed up.
‘My behavior in that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video, I’m disgusted.
‘I was disgusted then when I did it, I am disgusted now. I went and I sought out professional help, I got into going to therapy, going to rehab.
‘Had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry. But I am committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness, I’m truly sorry,’ he concluded.
The federal investigation into the rapper, meanwhile, remains ongoing.
As for LeBron, he has yet to issue a statement on whether he stands by the rapper.
