NFL Fans in the Smallest Markets Are Buying the Most Merchandise
On March 4, TikTok user OkaySpade dropped his “LeBron Song”—a 35-second R&B track whose only words are “LeBron, LeBron, LeBron James.”
The video has about 6.7 million views as of March 31. OkaySpade, whose real name is Vincent Jordan, told Front Office Sports he had only about 100 followers when he posted the song. He now has more than 6,000.
A 24-year-old student based in Arizona, Jordan made the song as a tribute to James for becoming the first player to surpass the 50,000-point threshold. “I didn’t really think it was going to reach the heights that it has,” Jordan told Front Office Sports.
James, the 21-time All-Star, has been the subject of “glazing”—slang for overly praising—all season long. Fans have posted exaggerated versions of their adoration for the NBA star. But over the past month, the glazing memes have evolved into songs.
They’ve not only gone viral but have also sparked a movement.
The internet has flooded with songs about James, many of them covers of other famous tracks like “Man on the Lakers,” based on Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror”; “Thinking ’Bout LeBron” from Bruno Mars’s “Talking to the Moon”; and “Savannah Doesn’t Know” from Lustra’s 2000s hit “Scotty Doesn’t Know” (James’s wife’s name is Savannah).
When the songs first started trending, NBA players were aware of it. Sixers guard Jared McCain commented on Jordan’s post and called the song “fire,” while Grizzlies guard Yuki Kawamura went viral for singing the tribute song alongside DJ Steward of Memphis Hustle, the team’s G League affiliate.
Official accounts have also begun to embrace the trend. The Lakers and NBA on ESPN accounts both tweeted out “Man on The Lakers” following James’s buzzer beater against the Pacers last week. While the Baylor Men’s choir posted a video of its a capella rendition of the Michael Jackson remake.
James finally publicly acknowledged the trend Monday night following the Lakers’ win over the Rockets. James said Bryce, his youngest son, had shown him one of the videos the day before the game and said they got “a good laugh” out of it.
“It’s almost impossible [not to see the songs]. … There’s quite a few of them,” James said.
It’s unclear whether Los Angeles has any intention to capitalize on the trend beyond using it on social media. The Lakers did not respond to a request for comment.
But the creators are clearly using it to their advantage.
Jordan said he was able to attend his first NBA game after the viral video, though the opportunity was not courtesy of the Lakers and he did not reveal who sent him out. He continues to post follow-up videos of the LeBron song on his TikTok and said he plans to keep releasing songs, but he isn’t tied to music or content creation as a career. (Jordan is studying to be an electrician.)
Jackson Payne, who plays the keys for 19 Miles Per Hour, the band who sang “Savannah Doesn’t Know,” said that before the song about James, they only occasionally did sports content because they didn’t think it “overlapped” with the interest of their followers. But they’re likely going to do more now after the success of this song, which has more than 1.2 million views across TikTok and Instagram.
“I think we found the overlap with the LeBron videos,” Payne said.
While James is one of the most accomplished players in NBA history, the “glazing” for him is different compared to other athletes. Beneath the viral content appears to be real respect for his accomplishments—particularly due to his longevity at the top of the sport.
Jordan said he used to “hate” James because he grew up a fan of Paul George and the Pacers.
“I’m at that age now where I can look back at how long he’s been doing what he’s doing and it hits me: He’s the greatest to ever do it, for real,” Jordan said.
Payne said this trend serves as a “send-off” for the 40-year-old NBA superstar.
“He’s nearing the end of his career,” Lakers fan account LakeShowYo told FOS on X/Twitter, “so appreciation is at an all-time high now for arguably the greatest NBA player ever.”
