When LeBron James was nearing the unprecedented 50,000-point milestone in his NBA career, Vincent Jordan, known artistically as OkaySpade, recognized it was the perfect moment to start a project. The idea of creating a tribute song for this incredible achievement had already been on Jordan`s mind.
He searched YouTube for a suitable instrumental track and came across a beat posted nearly two years prior that seemed ideally suited for the song he envisioned. Jordan listened to it twice and quickly decided. He immediately commented on the YouTube video, stating, “Finna make a LeBron James tribute [right now].”
Recording the song took Jordan no more than 10 minutes. The core chorus, “LeBron, LeBron, LeBron James,” was completed in just two takes. He added harmonies and matched the E-flat chords of the beat, then layered a falsetto singing “LeBron James” to establish the melody.
Jordan deliberately kept editing minimal, aiming for a raw feel because he intended it as a comedic song. He expressed satisfaction with this approach, feeling it gave the track a simple, homemade quality that he appreciated, avoiding unnecessary complexity.
After James officially set the NBA scoring record on March 4th against the New Orleans Pelicans, Jordan shared his song, appropriately titled “Reigning in LA (LeBron James Anthem),” with his friends. Encouraged by their positive reactions, he posted a snippet on TikTok and went about his day.
Having only around 100 followers when he posted the 35-second clip, Jordan was astonished to wake up the following morning to thousands of notifications. Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain, a prominent influencer on the platform, commented on the post, calling it “This fire.”
Following his song`s viral surge on TikTok, Jordan released a longer, one-minute-thirty-five-second version on streaming services. As March continued, other TikTok creators started contributing to the trend, crafting their own LeBron James songs, often by remixing popular R&B hits with lyrics celebrating the Lakers superstar`s achievements. This is how the viral trend was born.
Jordan`s original song has since amassed over 7 million views and 800,000 likes, significantly boosting his TikTok following by more than 6,000.
As “Reigning in LA” gained traction across social media, the song caught the attention of Fyrehouse records. The label flew Jordan to Los Angeles for business discussions, provided him with tickets to his first Lakers game, and signed him to a deal to record six songs. “Dreams do come true,” he shared about the experience.
Music has always been a vital part of Jordan`s life, shaped by his parents` involvement in the entertainment industry, particularly within the R&B genre. His mother performed breakup R&B songs, while his father sang love songs and is also an actor. “I can`t imagine my life without music,” Jordan stated.
Despite his deep connection, Jordan initially doubted the possibility of building a career in music. “I just didn`t believe there was a chance,” Jordan said. “Because in my head, everybody wants to do music, so what makes me different from everybody else?”
Jordan`s inspiration stemmed not only from his musical upbringing but also from his fandom for the Los Angeles Lakers star. The 24-year-old became a devoted fan of James during the Cleveland Cavaliers` remarkable 3-1 series comeback against the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals. “That situation showed him overcoming the odds and completely defeating one of the best teams ever assembled in basketball despite being at a disadvantage,” Jordan explained with a smile.
Jordan could never have anticipated that his creation on TikTok would go on to become a source of inspiration for others.
TikTok user Cortez Miles grew up singing and playing instruments in church, with his musical talents later recognized by his father and friends. However, he hadn`t posted much of his music on TikTok, and what he did post received little attention until the LeBron James trend emerged. “I started hearing some of them, and at first, I thought it was a joke because I make R&B music,” Miles commented. However, his musical instincts soon prompted him to join in.
Miles aimed to create something unique and unexpected, preferring not to remix a song considered overly “trendy” or “poppy.” He hoped to use the trend to reintroduce listeners to what he called an era of “good R&B.”
He decided to test audience engagement with his first LeBron James remix, using Drake`s `Girls Love Beyoncé.` Miles freestyled lyrics about the 21-time NBA All-Star, aiming to match the flow of the original song. “I used the template of the actual song`s flow and just redid it with LeBron`s achievements,” Miles explained. “I kept the same flow as the original, so if you heard the song without the beat and just my vocal flow, you`d recognize the original song. I just go by what I know and what I`ve seen. Clearly, he`s the GOAT.”
“If I had to perform these songs, I probably couldn`t even do it because I don`t know my own lyrics after posting,” he added with a laugh.
Miles delved into the neo-soul R&B style with remixes of Charlie Wilson`s `Charlie, Last Name Wilson` (retitled `LeBron last name James`) and Jon B.`s `They Don`t Know.` His `LeMix` of Chris Brown`s `Residuals` saw notably high engagement on TikTok.
As Miles posted remixes, users began leaving comments requesting specific songs. One user asked him to remix T-Pain`s `Buy U a Drank` and title it `Le`Get You a Ring,` which he did, and it quickly became popular. “I wasn`t expecting any of them to go crazy,” Miles told reporters. “So once they did, people were suggesting, `Hey, do this song,` and if I thought it would sound alright, I`d do it right then and there and post it. It takes seconds.”
Miles achieved the most success with his remix of Plies featuring T-Pain`s `Shawty,` which he renamed `Le`Shawty.` The lyrics included: “We know he is the greatest of them all, yeah I`m talking about LeBron James.” That rendition alone has gathered over 46,000 likes and continues to grow.
After the Lakers` win over the Houston Rockets on March 31st, reporters asked James if he was aware of the trend. LeBron confirmed he had heard many of the songs. “It`s almost impossible not to see them,” James commented after his 16-point game. “My younger son, Bryce, actually showed me one… we got a good laugh out of it. There are quite a few out there.”
Miles wondered if one of his “LeMixes” was among those James had seen but wasn`t dwelling on the thought. “If he`s seen it, that`s cool, but I more so enjoy the interaction with other people and being able to connect and just enjoy the trend,” Miles stated. “The fact that it ended up reaching him is great. That`s good for anyone who was part of the trend.”
However, LeBron James wasn`t the only NBA superstar to become the subject of a TikTok song trend. Days after Jordan released `Reigning in LA,` TikTok user Trynden released his own original 40-second R&B song about Stephen Curry.
At the time, other LeBron James songs hadn`t yet gone viral. Trynden shared that he didn`t want to simply copy Jordan`s idea but had a strong feeling that a song about Curry could achieve similar viral success. “I just did it for fun and kind of thought it could get big,” Trynden commented.
The lyrics for the song included: “Oh Stephen Curry, oh No. 30; when he shoots the ball, he`s gonna turn around; don`t gotta see. It`s going in, all you hear is green.”
“I was really happy when it went viral, and it was just kind of surreal,” he said. “I thought it could happen, but when it really did, I was kind of taken aback.”
Trynden currently doesn`t plan to create more songs specifically about Curry. However, both Miles and Jordan stated they intend to continue making songs as long as LeBron James remains in the league and pursues his fifth NBA championship.
