"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine / You make me happy, when skies are grey"
Although these lines are commonly reserved for parents attempting to assuage their sobbing children, over the past few years, the lullaby has moved to the digital sphere and found a new target — the 6-foot-9-inch, 250-pound forward wearing no. 23 for the Los Angeles Lakers — LeBron James.
This TikTok trend is yet another instance in the seemingly everlasting cycle of the hyperfixation and excessive praise (colloquially referred to as "LeBron glaze") bestowed upon arguably the greatest player to ever touch a basketball.
So why? What led to the online sports community making songs about LeBron and calling him their "glorious king"? To some, LeBron's ability to transcend sports has led to his widespread appeal.
"I think of an inspirational figure in terms of culture and just the sport itself," said Aneesh Warrier, a sophomore studying finance and supply chain management.
Even for those who aren't fans of LeBron on the hardwood, his off-court presence is widely admired.
"Inside of basketball, I don't like him too much because he's a Lakers player," said Zubin Sidhwa, a sophomore studying sports business. "But outside of basketball, I love all the memes."
As LeBron exits the court and enters the pop culture sphere, sports fans aren't the only ones who can joke around and share some laughs.
"LeBron has been mixed into this meme culture that's expanding," Warrier said. "So ever since that started, since like 2022 with the LeBron figureheads, he's just been a meme in that sense. And then people just build on that."
Sports have been a longtime connector in the personal and professional world. "Did you see the game last night?" remains on the Mount Rushmore for all-time icebreakers. In a time where many Gen Zers report it harder than ever to make friends, the Lakers superstar (and the memes surrounding him) offers a helping hand in bridging that companionship gap.
Despite generating consistent laughter and engagement, it's more than entertainment for many fans.
"I feel like it starts to hit around this age that a lot of people realize time does move fast, and everything keeps changing," said Yaswanth Ponugoti, a sophomore studying computer science. "You're all caught up with school, work, trying to get a job, everything like that. You don't have as much time to have fun."
LeBron is a constant throughout change. With his 22-season tenure in the NBA, he's been in the league longer than the average Gen Z LeBron diehard has been alive.
"You know, when I was a kid, I literally quit (my job) because the NBA season started," Sidhwa said. "I wanted to watch every game, and I could do that because I didn't have to pay any bills."
As LeBron remains the face of the league as he's done for the last two decades, he becomes a symbol of the past, holding strong in the present. He is the final vestige of the NBA's supposed peak — nostalgia in the moment.
"LeBron was the face back then, and he's still there now," Ponugoti said. "It just makes that sentiment of things being better back then."
It seems the trend functions as a defense mechanism. Fans calling LeBron their "sunshine" reminds them of the idyllic days of old, where the sun seemed to shine a little brighter, homework was a little easier and problems were a lot lighter.
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The current discourse around LeBron doesn't focus on him getting more points, rings or MVPs. As the NBA's all-time leading scorer, four-time champion and four-time MVP with an all but guaranteed first-ballot entry into the Hall of Fame, he's essentially completed basketball. Rather, the conversation revolves around LeBron's ability to genuinely compete with the best of the best at the prehistoric (in basketball terms) age of 40.
"A lot of us strive to be good at something for so long," Ponugoti said.
In the face of Father Time's relentless march, LeBron's longevity gives many an inspiration of how to age — hence the adoration that follows suit.
"LeBron is the perfect role model on how to treat your family, how to give back to the community," Sidhwa said. "All the pressure he's been through in his life, handled extremely well … and I don't think you can say that about any other athlete."
In an age where sports outlets light up social media with player controversies and off-court drama, LeBron has remained as marketable — ergo idolized — as ever.
"He's funny as hell," Sidhwa said. "He's a good guy, too. He never gets in any scandals."
Throughout it all, the exalted, lionized "King James" still dons the humble moniker "Kid from Akron."
"You've literally done it all in the sport, and you're still the same kind-hearted person," Ponugoti said. "That's super inspiring to see."
Through LeBron's excellence, his fans get the idea — rather, the hope — that they too can wade into the future's uncharted waters and put on an MVP performance in spite of any adversity thrown their way.
Edited by Andrew Dirst, Abigail Beck and Natalia Jarrett.
Reach the reporter at stroeste@asu.edu and follow @samtroester on X.
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Sam is a sophomore studying political science with a minor in business. This is his first semester with The State Press.
