On Oct. 23, 2019, the website BustATroll published an article positing that Los Angeles Lakers player LeBron James had announced to the NBA that if they didn't dump the pregame national anthem he would quit:
LeBron To NBA: ’Dump The Anthem Or I’ll Quit’
This past Tuesday, the NBA’s LeBron James created quite a scene and angered millions when he angrily walked off the court during the playing of our national anthem. This was his ‘protest’ it seems, the next stage of disrespect that began with kneeling in the NFL.
Now James is stepping it up even more. Yesterday, Joseph Barron, Esq., a lawyer for James hand-delivered a letter to the offices of the NBA advising them of his client’s intention to end his basketball career if the anthem were to be played in his presence ever again.
This item was not a factual recounting of real-life events. The article originated with a website that describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature, as follows:
Everything on this website is fiction. It is not a lie and it is not fake news because it is not real. If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined. Any similarities between this site’s pure fantasy and actual people, places, and events are purely coincidental and all images should be considered altered and satirical.
The article was published on the heels of a controversy over James' alleged "disrespect" of the U.S. national anthem when he shouted "Let's go" to the crowd before the anthem was done playing during an Oct. 22 game.
For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.