According to the rumor mill, LeBron James is about to announce a return to Cleveland. Just four years ago, James moved from Cleveland to Miami. It’s been widely reported that James will make the announcement on his website. Here’s what you need to know about LeBronJames.com, his announcement, and all the latest rumors about the big news.
LeBron's decision to rejoin Cavs will be announced on his Web site before he leaves for World Cup final in Brazil. http://t.co/qZ0gqCIZIE
— Chris Sheridan (@sheridanhoops) July 10, 2014
1. LeBron James Website Code May Have Leaked the Announcement Early
Web developer friend's take on the http://t.co/dXsyYmTPNh stuff: pic.twitter.com/3d8UPEXrTj
— Matt Borcas (@mattborcas) July 10, 2014
As we reported earlier today, the colors used on LeBron’s website may have telegraphed his change back into Cleveland colors.
BroJackson.com notes:
“His web developer built pages with a navy blue header, crimson font sets, and golden accents.”
These color cues were picked up on when people ran a “Firebug” across LeBron’s site. A Firebug is a website debugging tool that can be used to find errors or test web security.
@AnthonyLimaFAN @mattborcas Here are the colors he listed. pic.twitter.com/0J4PO8v31U
— Jeff Lillibridge (@DigitaLilli) July 10, 2014
However, this color-coded “proof” isn’t conclusive to all:
Gone back and forth with designers this AM, all struggling to find supposed embedded code that reveals LeBron's team choice on website.
— darren rovell (@darrenrovell) July 10, 2014
Re: Lebron website. RT @abdophoto: @monkbent No other devs have found this. Looks like it might be BS.
— Ben Thompson (@monkbent) July 10, 2014
No. "Hidden pages" on LeBron's website did not tip off his decision. http://t.co/mEmyDsq2U1 pic.twitter.com/OBw5aAL8gJ
— SB Nation (@SBNation) July 10, 2014
Another potential “proof” of LeBron’s return to Cleveland? His site now contains a note that says, “I’m just a kid from Akron, Ohio.” Of course, it’s been hard for most people to see that message with his site down for a good chunk of this afternoon.
2. LeBron James’ Website Is Packed With Info
Last Two Accounts that LeBron James' official website followed? @Ohiodotcom & @AkronBeacon (H/T @EliLanger) pic.twitter.com/zyrPpBOXSt
— darren rovell (@darrenrovell) July 10, 2014
When it’s up and running properly, LeBron’s website has a ton of cool information for fans of this noted basketball player. The site is divided into sections for “The Man,” “The Philanthropist,” “The Businessman,” and “The Athlete.” You can also shop for authorized LeBron James merchandise, or learn more about the LeBron James Family Foundation (scroll down for more info on that.)
Bleacher Report noted that LeBron’s expected announcement on the website would occur at 3:30pm Eastern, which did not appear to happen.
If you’re still having trouble accessing the LeBron James website, you can always check LeBron’s Twitter feed.
3. You Can Monitor Whether LeBronJames.com Is Down
The handy website “Down For Everyone Or Just Me?” is a simple way to tell whether LeBron’s site (or any website, really) is down for you, or for the whole world. LeBron’s site was down for a good chunk of the afternoon on July 10, presumably due to so many fans refreshing the site to see if the announcement had been made. It became sporadically available for some users starting around 6 p.m Eastern time, though some errors (including a JSON Parse error and load screens that wouldn’t progress) kept popping up for some users.
4. LeBron James Has Another Website
While LeBron’s main website may be down for some users, it’s worth noting LeBron has another site. While you’re compulsively hitting “Refresh” on the main LeBron page, why not check out LeBron’s charity page, the LeBron James Family Foundation?
A recent blog post on the Family Foundation site from LeBron might even point to a Cleveland return:
“I hope you’re all having an active summer! I finally got a chance to have some alone time with my family and recover from the season. Soon I’ll be able to do that in Akron with all of you. Akron is where I discovered all the things I love most: family, friends, a sense of community and basketball.”
5. People Are Freaking Out About LeBron’s Website Crashing
http://t.co/U9w3kfhE1o has crashed.
— darren rovell (@darrenrovell) July 10, 2014
Predictably, tons of fans have taken to social media to freak out about LeBron’s website being down. Here are some of the most amusing tweets we found:
WE DON'T ALL NEED TO GO TO LEBRON'S WEBSITE. ONLY 1 GUY DOES AND HE'LL POST WHAT IT SAYS ON TWITTER 5 SECOND LATER AND BE RTed 500000 TIMES
— J. D. Hatings (@basquiatball) July 10, 2014
BREAKING: LeBron James' website.
— Travis Helwig (@travishelwig) July 10, 2014
BREAKING: LeBron James' website has crashed. His server is currently experiencing cramps.
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) July 10, 2014
Some enterprising sports media startup should kidnap the guy who puts stuff on LeBron's website and beat the news out of him. #journalism
— SportsPickle (@sportspickle) July 10, 2014
If a website going down could cause intentional infliction of emotional distress, http://t.co/0oA6ZOCD6o might face a class action suit.
— Michael McCann (@McCannSportsLaw) July 10, 2014
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LeBron James’ Website: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know