LeBron James lead the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals, joined the Lakers as a free agent, and opened an elementary school for at-risk children. His busy 2018 helped make him the most tweeted about athlete in the world.
Second place in the U.S., however, went to an athlete unable to find a job: Colin Kaepernick. The quarterback and activist suing the NFL for collusion was the subject of more Twitter activity than anyone but James, ranking just ahead of retired Lakers star Kobe Bryant, Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving (who suffered a knee injury and received notoriety for arguing that the world is flat), and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.