Tyler, The Creator has never been one to follow convention, and neither has LeBron James. So when the two icons collided in the music video for Tyler’s new single “STOP PLAYING WITH ME,” fans were treated to a moment that felt both unexpected and inevitable.
Released on Monday, as part of Tyler’s ninth studio album DON’T TAP THE GLASS, the video features a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo from LeBron and his longtime business partner Maverick Carter. Dressed in Louis Vuitton, the duo appears mid-song as Tyler raps:
“Caught the plane with Mav, Bron there too.”
The line cues their entrance, with both men nodding to the beat and exchanging a signature handshake behind Tyler’s chaotic, high-energy performance. The visual is set in a wind-tunnel-like room filled with swirling newspapers, oversized speakers, and a “No Glass Tapping” sign, a nod to the album’s title and its theme of breaking through social constraints.
Tyler directed the video himself, continuing his streak of visually bold and conceptually rich releases. In promoting the album, he emphasized that DON’T TAP THE GLASS was made for movement, not perfection.
“Any type of movement is recommended to maybe understand the spirit of it,” he wrote. “Only at full volume.”
The album blends electronic, funk, and hip-hop influences, with “STOP PLAYING WITH ME” serving as its midpoint anthem.
Whether you see it as a flex, a friendship, or a cryptic message, LeBron’s cameo in Tyler’s video is a reminder of how art and sport continue to intersect.
