Each of these three memes will hopefully resonate with my target audience because all three are iconic moments from the past few seasons of the NBA. These images are regularly photoshopped and used as captions for several different memes found throughout social media. Each of them are primarily used as reaction memes but if you browse NBA social media accounts, you are bound to find them being used for almost every situation.
The ideal of the first meme is primarily to point out when you are upset with someone for messing up a simple task. This meme is often photoshopped with several examples of this situation, but regardless of the photoshop, the ideal is always the same. The ideal of the second image is to show that you are unimpressed with how successful you are. The image itself comes from moments after a game winning shot was made in a pivotal playoff game, but the player still looks unimpressed and as if he expected the outcome. This is the “aggregate of all manifestations of [this] meme,” (Davison 133). Lastly, the ideal of the third meme is to show that you are very upset about a situation and even though you want to appear emotionless, you can’t control showing how upset you are. This post is used in several scenarios to show an upset reaction to a difficult situation and the meaning of the image more or less does not change.
The behavior of the first LeBron James meme is the photograph itself of LeBron in a fit of frustration and confusion. The background of this image is that it was taken at the end of an NBA Finals game where LeBron carried his team and did just about everything in his power in order to win. Then with only 5 seconds left in the game, all his teammate needed to do was shoot the ball from right under the basket, but instead he ran away with the ball and cost his team the game, even though LeBron was telling him what he needed to do. The picture was then taken when LeBron’s teammate attempted to confront him. The image spread quickly on social media because it was taken at the end of the Finals, which are the most televised games of the year. The behavior of the second image is the reaction of the player, Damian Lillard, after getting tackled by teammates for winning his team a playoff series. This image was from an elimination game where the winner moved on and the loser went home. At the end of this game, “Lillard hit a 37-foot three-point shot as time expired. Cameras caught him staring at the camera… while his team celebrated around him,” (Know Your Meme). This image spread extremely fast on Twitter because it was such an iconic game-winning shot on national TV in the playoffs, and Lillard had an even more iconic reaction to it. Finally, the behavior of the third image of James Harden, is the expression on his face and the tears in his eyes. This picture was taken after Harden was poked in his eyes and the camera panned onto him when it looked like he was in tears. This was also another pivotal playoff game with millions of spectators so it was quickly spread on social media and in messages between friends.
The unique manifestation of the LeBron James photo is the displeasure in LeBron’s face even though he just had one of the best performances in Finals history. LeBron is seen as possibly the greatest player of all time and this image was from the highest stage in basketball so it’s very unlikely that another image of this magnitude will ever be taken. The manifestation of the Damian Lillard image comes from the fact that Lillard just hit one of the best, most ridiculous game winners in NBA history, and it also was in a playoff game where the loser was sent home. Then his completely unexpected reaction took this situation one step further and cemented the moment as iconic. There will certainly never be another manifestation like this in NBA history. Lastly the manifestation of the Harden photo is the pure look of despair on national television in one of the most important playoff games of the year. The two teams that were playing, the Rockets and Warriors, are bitter rivals and Harden would never want to show a real depressing emotion in these games so when the camera caught him in this moment, it immediately stood out. It’s very unlikely for this exact moment to ever be replicated.
Each of these manifestations should be relevant to my target audience. Each of the three images represent key moments in very recent NBA history that will most likely never ever happen again. Most NBA fans were also able to witness these events live and this is why the memes stick in the heads of most NBA fans so much. For these reasons, my target audience should already be aware of these memes and the backgrounds of each, and they will most likely not forget any of the manifestations of these images any time soon.
Image Sources:
LeBron James: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/lebron-jamess-nba-finals-reaction
Damian Lillard: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/damian-lillards-victory-stare
James Harden: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/james-hardens-red-eyes
Everyday NBA 