Mediaboss Marketing

Posted December 13, 2013

LeBron James (left) and Kobe Bryant (right) were among the most retweeted athletes of 2013. (Sun Sentinel/Getty Images)

Twitter announced this week that four of the social networking sites top 10 most shared sports tweets of 2013 were posted by NBA players.

Heat forward LeBron James, Knicks guard J.R. Smith and Lakers guard Kobe Bryant all appeared on Twitters top 10 retweeted sports tweets list, which also included messages from a soccer player, United States Soccer, a college basketball player and an NFL player. A retweet is a way for Twitter users to share someone elses content to their followers.

James, the NBAs reigning MVP, had the NBAs most retweeted message of the year back in February when he responded to ongoing comparisons with Michael Jordan.

Im not MJ, Im LJ, James wrote. That simple declaration has been retweeted more than 76,000 times, ranking fourth among all sports tweets. James would later discuss his Michael Jordan moment during the 2013 Finals in a Sports Illustrated cover story.

Smith followed one spot behind James for a trash-talking reply to then-Nets forward Kris Humphries, who talked a little smack about Brooklyn getting a win against New York at Madison Square Garden.

Big game tonight! The Garden got really quiet on the way out, Humphries wrote.Smith replied: Wasnt quiet when Kanye tore it down last month!

Humphries divorced reality television star Kim Kardashian after a 72-day marriage; Kardashian is now engaged to West, a popular rapper and producer. Smiths quip produced more than 62,000 retweets.

A late-arriver to Twitter, Bryant was the only NBA player to appear twice on the list. His first tweet The antisocial has become social #mambatweets produced more than 50,000 retweets, ranking eighth on the list. His most popular tweet, though, was a jab at Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who had wondered aloud whether the Lakers should use the amnesty clause on Bryants league-leading salary in response to new luxury tax rules put in place by the leagues Collective Bargaining Agreement.

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LeBron James, Kobe Bryant rank among 2013's most retweeted sports tweets