Did fans sing "You Are My Sunshine" to LeBron James after 40-point night vs Nets? Debunking viral video

LA Lakers superstar forward LeBron James received a standing ovation from Brooklyn Nets fans following his electric shooting performance at the Barclays Center on Sunday. Shortly after, an altered clip of the moment went viral, suggesting that Brooklyn's crowd sang to James as he checked out of the game.

James finished with a game-high 40 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a career-high-tying nine 3-pointers. Meanwhile, he shot a blistering 76.5% (13-for-17) and 90.0% (9-for-10) from deep as the Lakers secured a 116-104 road victory.

Typically, fans don't cheer on opposing teams' star players so blatantly. However, given the magnitude of James' shooting performance, and likely the fact that the game was rather inconsequential for the Nets, they showed appreciation.

Nets fans stood and applauded the 20-time All-Star as he walked off the court, with James making a crown gesture toward the stands. ESPN's Dave McMenamin shared a clip of the moment on X/Twitter, noting how staggering the four-time MVP's outing was.

However, in a doctored version of the video, fans allegedly sang Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell's classic 1940 country song "You Are My Sunshine" to James.

Given the other clips of James walking off the court, the video is clearly fake, and likely an April Fool's Day joke. Nonetheless, it had some fans who missed Sunday's contest fooled.

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LeBron James on hot shooting night that earned him standing ovation from Nets fans

After shooting the lights out at the Barclays Center on Sunday, LeBron James' 3-point percentage improved to a career-best 41.6% on 5.3 attempts per game.

He is on the verge of being a top-20 shooter efficiency-wise, ranking 21st in the NBA in 3pt%, ahead of some of the league's premier sharpshooters. That includes Golden State Warriors superstar point guard Steph Curry (40.3%), who is widely viewed as the NBA’s all-time greatest shooter.

Following his sensational shooting display, James touched on how he's worked relentlessly on his shot to make teams pay for leaving him open.

"I want to be respected, and teams have to play me from the outside," James said. "That’s still kind of one thing teams [think] still, 'If we have to give up something, we’d much rather him shoot the ball from the outside.'"

Before this season, James only shot 40.0% or better from 3 once. That was during the 2012-13 season with the Miami Heat (40.6% on 3.3 attempts per game). Additionally, the 39-year-old only shot 32.1% from deep on 6.9 attempts per game last season.

So, James has improved his 3pt% by a whopping 9.5% in one year. It remains to be seen if he can maintain that level of efficiency. If so, his elite shooting could be a difference-maker for the Lakers (42-33, ninth in the Western Conference) come the postseason.

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