Yesterday afternoon, it appeared that LeBron James had finally spoken - via Twitter, that is. Long notably absent from the by-turns useful and annoying service, James finally claimed his handle, King James, announcing that he was at long last "in the building." As of late Tuesday evening, James' account bore the "verified account" badge that Twitter bestows on celebrities, corporations and other high-profile accounts that are ripe for impersonation. No word on whether or not he follows his own elbow.

Celebrity Twittering is a weird phenomenon. For one thing, there's a reason some people have publicists. (The Hills' Spencer Pratt and Courtney Love are the first examples that come to mind.) For others, it's a humanizing touch - a way to interact with fans that's easy and entirely voluntary. Here in Cleveland, Josh Cribbs and Shaquille O'Neal have both built faithful Twitter followings, the latter even using the site to send followers on scavenger hunts for autographed shoes. So, the King is in good company.

When I clicked "follow" on James' Twitter page yesterday morning, he had yet to send even one message and had already racked up north of 65,000 followers. By nightfall it was hovering around 157,000 - still a long way from O'Neal's impressive 2.9 million, though one imagines he'll catch up. It will be interesting to see how James, who manages to be ubiquitous yet private, interacts with his legions of fans (and haters...on the Internet, there's no one who doesn't have them). Particularly his adoring, mercurial, devoted, fair-weather Cleveland fan base.

Cavs fans, who at this point are simply bracing to have their hearts broken, may take comfort in the fact that James' Twitter bio says "King of Akron." The words they most long to hear, however, will take far fewer than Twitter's 140 characters: "I'm staying."