LeBron James has a devout fan following on the Internet that defends the four-time champion whenever given the opportunity. However, their support for James peaked with the birth of the “You Are My Sunshine” meme.
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The viral trend originally began in early 2023. It started as a form of mockery of die-hard fans of the Lakers superstar, who would go to any lengths to showcase their support for him. A variation of the meme features LeBron’s face attached to the sun, representing the sunshine that fans were alluding to.
However, it didn’t pick up steam until 2024.
@hrtz.007 Lesunshine James is always watching ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️#lebronjames #sunshine #fyp ♬ you are my sunshine – christina perri
In January of 2024, a TikTok user by the name of ‘lebrigga’ posted an edit of LeBron along with Christina Perri’s ‘You Are My Sunshine’ playing in the background. The video blew up in a matter of months and now holds 1.1 million views and 184,000 likes.
@lebrigga I love you bron bron❤️❤️❤️ #lebron #james #cavs #lakers #heat ♬ you are my sunshine – christina perri
The meme soon became a staple in NBA online communities. However, in March of 2024, the trend exploded even more.
The Lakers defeated the Nets 116-104 in a game where LeBron scored a brilliant 40 points while tying his career-high of nine three-pointers. On TikTok, the Founder of House of Highlights, Omar Raja, posted a video of LeBron with the song, which went extremely viral.
@omar #LeBron had to score against the @Brooklyn Nets ♬ original sound – CA$H
To this day, the meme remains relevant among NBA fans across all social media platforms. The brightness of LeBron’s face within the sun gave birth to an alter ego of the meme involving the King.
What is the LeEvil James meme?
LeEvil James is the coined nickname that fans have given a meme highlighting the 20-time All-Star in a dark alter ego. At the heights of the ‘You Are My Sunshine’ edits in March, the LeEvil James meme was born.
Many memes followed the same format as the ‘You Are My Sunshine’ videos but took a more eerie approach. LeBron’s face would be darkened to the point where only his eyes and teeth are visible. The song in the background remained the same but a different rendition with a slower and creepier undertone.
@lebonbon181 Evil lebonbon #youaremysunshine #lebronjames #lebron ♬ You are my sunshine – Have some Corey cola
LeBron hasn’t acknowledged either of the memes but his play on the court further fuels his fans’ creativity to celebrate his greatness.
