LeBron James sparks streaming cold war between Kick and Twitch

The competition between Kick and Twitch for the top streamers is heating up, as NBA superstar LeBron James announced his intention to join the streaming scene.

The American basketball power forward is one of the biggest names in sports and entertainment, and his entry into the streaming market could shake things up considerably.

In the last year, several eminent streamers have made big moves, such as xQc signing a $100M deal with Kick and Valkyrae staying loyal to YouTube. However, none of them can match the fame and influence of LeBron, who is widely regarded as the second-greatest basketball player ever, followed by Michael B. Jordan.

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On December 29, LeBron posted on X that he wanted to stream his recent release Madden NFL games, but he was unsure about which platform to choose.

“Who should I stream with? Meaning which platform brand?” he asked. His question was quickly met with responses from some of the most popular streamers on Kick, who tried to persuade him to join their platform.

“Stream with us,” urged Trainwreck.

“Come to Kick. I’ll get you a bag, my glorious king,” said Adin. Even Kick’s Head of Strategic Partnerships Andrew Santamaria joined the conversation, writing “time to work,” implying that he was ready to offer LeBron James a lucrative deal.

Kick was not the only platform interested in LeBron James

Twitch’s CEO Dan Clancy also replied to his post, and vouched for the platform he runs.

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“I am a bit biased given that I run Twitch but Twitch is the best platform for engaging with your fans. You also could consider streaming on Twitch and YouTube at the same time,” he suggested, referring to the platform’s relaxed rules on multi-streaming.

It is still unclear which platform LeBron James will choose, but his decision could have a huge impact on the streaming industry. Hopefully, he will not repeat the infamous The Decision 2.0, when he announced his move from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Miami Heat in 2010.