10 Greatest NBA Memes of All Time (And How to Put Your Face on Them)

Basketball is the most meme-able sport on earth. The drama, the trash talk, the sideline reactions, the playoff collapses — the NBA has been producing world-class content since before most meme formats existed. Here are the 11 greatest NBA memes of all time, with the full history behind each one. And yes, you can swap your face into all of them.

1. Crying Jordan

Origin: Michael Jordan's 2009 Basketball Hall of Fame induction speech. MJ broke down crying during his thank-you remarks and a grainy screengrab became the most universal sports loss meme ever made. Applied to every losing team, playoff elimination, and missed free throw that ends a season. It transcended basketball years ago — politicians, celebrities, and entire countries have been Crying Jordan'd.

Full origin story →

2. Confused Nick Young / Swaggy P ???

Origin: A 2012 video interview where Nick Young (Swaggy P) listens to teammate D'Angelo Russell explain a decision, then slowly turns to the camera with a look of absolute confusion — question marks practically floating over his head. The reaction face became the go-to meme for "I have no idea what's happening right now." It's been attached to everything from confusing homework to chaotic sports moments to existential crisis captions.

Full origin story →

3. Yao Ming "Bitch Please" Face

Origin: A 2009 photo of Houston Rockets center Yao Ming (7'6") with a huge grin and skeptical side-eye — the expression of someone who has heard absolute nonsense and is trying not to laugh. The "Bitch Please" reaction meme, applied to any situation involving obvious stupidity or outrageous claims. One of the most-used reaction images on Reddit circa 2010–2013.

4. LeBron James "The Decision"

Origin: July 8, 2010. LeBron held an entire ESPN primetime special to announce he was leaving Cleveland for Miami. "I'm going to take my talents to South Beach" became the most parodied sports sentence of the decade. The format: LeBron at the podium + "I'm going to take my talents to [anywhere]." Used to mock anyone making unnecessarily dramatic announcements about mundane decisions.

5. Drake Courtside

Origin: Drake became the Toronto Raptors' most visible superfan, attending games courtside and visibly reacting to every play. His expressions — smug trash talk one minute, devastated the next — became a reliable content source. The "Drake Curse" narrative (every team he publicly supported immediately lost) made every Drake sighting at a game must-watch entertainment.

6. Ben Simmons Won't Shoot

Origin: 76ers guard Ben Simmons spent four seasons as one of the most gifted passers in the league — while visibly refusing to shoot. The 2021 playoffs crystallized it: Simmons had a wide-open layup, pump-faked, passed off, and was eventually benched. He then avoided all questions about it and requested a trade. The format: Simmons wide open near the basket, pointing at someone else. Applied to anyone who avoids their obvious responsibility.

7. Kevin Durant's Burner Account

Origin: September 2017 — KD was caught operating fake Twitter accounts to defend himself and criticize his former coach and teammate, then accidentally replied in the third person from his main account: "He didn't like the organization or playing for Billy Donovan. I would've left too." The most human, most embarrassing, and frankly most relatable thing a superstar had ever done publicly. "KD burner" is still shorthand for anyone caught defending themselves in secret.

8. Shaq & Charles Barkley on TNT

Origin: The Inside the NBA crew — Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Ernie Johnson — has been generating meme material since 2000. Shaq and Chuck's mutual roasting produced hundreds of reaction GIFs: Shaq breaking the desk by sitting on it, Chuck falling off his chair laughing, Ernie's long-suffering face through all of it. The Shaq laughing GIF is one of the most deployed reaction images in NBA Twitter history.

9. Giannis "How Many People Told Me No"

Origin: Giannis Antetokounmpo's press conferences became a meme goldmine. His most viral moment: after winning the 2021 championship, "Do you know how many people told me I wasn't going to be here?" — delivered with the energy of someone genuinely baffled that people doubted him. The broader Giannis template: doing something absurdly impressive while looking completely unbothered and slightly confused about why anyone is surprised.

10. Stephen Curry Mouthguard

Origin: Every game, for years, Steph Curry chews on his mouthguard at every dead ball — at the free throw line, during huddles, while celebrating. The format: Curry chewing the mouthguard + any caption about someone making a difficult task look casual. His logo threes (from 35+ feet) spawned the "too deep" format where Curry just nods as the impossible shot goes in.

11. James Harden ISO Ball

Origin: James Harden perfected (and then over-perfected) isolation basketball — dribbling for 18 seconds while everyone watches, then drawing a foul or hoisting a step-back three. The meme: Harden standing still while four teammates stand in the corners. "James Harden in the regular season" vs "in the playoffs" became a two-panel standard. His repeated mid-season trade requests from three different teams added fresh chapters every year.