LeBron James is easily one of the most famous human beings of all time. In sports alone, he’s had such achievements as winning four NBA MVP awards, four Finals MVP awards, the Rookie of the Year award, three All-Star Game MVP awards, the inaugural NBA Cup MVP, and the Olympics MVP in the 2024 Summer Olympics. He is the NBA’s top scorer of all time and is at least top 10 in most offensive categories. Elkhart High School Junior Drake Jones said, “In everything he does, he’s the greatest of all time, like movies and video games, and he’s better than Michael Jordan.”
He is the greatest to some, not to others, but his popularity is undeniable. However, when you’re a fan of someone or something, when does being a fan go too far? In the past month or so, there has been a fusion of sports culture and music brewing under the surface of the internet. Cover songs, in many genres from pop to rap to rock and even jazz, are all about one man, the aforementioned LeBron James.
These covers blend humor with admiration for LeBron and have become something of a cultural movement. All of this led to the birth of an app called ‘Bronify,’ a spoof on the music streaming platform Spotify featuring all the functionality; however, this one featured exclusively LeBron James-themed music. Songs like “Man In The Mirror” by Michael Jackson and “Somebody That I Used To Know” by Gotye changed to be entirely about the legendary baller. While LeBron James has stayed silent through all of this, it seems someone has taken action against the app in recent years.
The rise of these songs and the creation of Bronify just go to show how far something on the internet can go. What started as satirical tributes evolved into much more, a fully realized platform even if it was short-lived. It’s proof that one’s influence can stretch far beyond just what they specialize in, inspiring everything from memes to music.
