Recounting the Lakers’ Memorable ‘Meme’ Moments

Lance Stephenson – Did We Just Win the Championship?

Fun fact: Lance Stephenson was the last Laker to wear No. 6 before LeBron. What is even funnier is that LeBron wore No. 6 during practice that season. Stephenson personified LeBron’s first year in L.A. — more spectacle than production. However, on Mar. 26, 2019, Stephenson provided the best highlight of the season. Yes, he stepped on Jeff Green‘s foot, but the reaction from the bench would have you thinking the Lakers just won the championship.

JaVale McGee – Fake Injury

JaVale McGee’s ascension from two-time Shaqtin’ A Fool MVP to three-time champion deserves its own article. McGee was the perfect center to pair next to Anthony Davis, and the two anchored the NBA’s top defense in 2020.

JaVale was mostly antics-free that season, until he saw an opportunity against his former team. McGee may have broken the unwritten rule, but it worked. On Oct. 27, 2019, JaVale McGee executed the fake injury, which resulted in an easy dunk. Any assumptions that JaVale may have been injured went out the window when the broadcast caught his reaction. This was a preseason game, by the way.

Dion Waiters – Champ Cheese

The Lakers’ winning the 2020 NBA Championship was legacy-defining for some. LeBron won his fourth ring, three of which were with different franchises. Anthony Davis cemented himself as one of the top 75 players in NBA history. Dwight Howard won his first ring. Rajon Rondo won a championship with the two most historic franchises.

For some players, they were along for the ride. One of these players was Dion Waiters, who was signed by the Lakers when the Bubble started. Waiters was also eligible to win a championship whether the Heat or Lakers won the Finals. After he won with the Lakers in October 2020, Waiters was adamant that he be referred to as “C.C. from now on, Champ Cheese”.

Andre Drummond – He Thinks He’s LeBron

The 2020-21 Lakers were well on their path to repeating before an Anthony Davis injury, followed by a LeBron James injury, derailed their season.

At the deadline, the Lakers would pick up former All-Star Andre Drummond in hopes of a long playoff run. Still, after winning a play-in game against Steph Curry and the Warriors, the Lakers found themselves in a playoff series versus the rising Phoenix Suns.

In Game 3, up big late, LeBron James posted up Jae Crowder. Andre Drummond saw the opportunity to mimic the King. The Lakers would win that game but lose the following three games to eventually lose the series. Lakers fans saw this as the curse that prevented the team from returning to the playoffs in 2022. The moral of the story: don’t upset the basketball gods.

Carmelo Anthony – Pump Fake Free Throw

Opening Day 2021 had high hopes for the Lakers. They assembled a superteam of superstars (most of which were past their primes): LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook , Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Rajon Rondo, heck, even DeAndre Jordan was along for the ride. Expectations were sky-high, but reality came back to earth when, during the first game, Carmelo Anthony pump faked a free throw. It was an omen for the rest of the season. The Lakers would finish 33-49, having arguably their most disappointing season in franchise history.

DeAndre Jordan – Just a Bit Outside

DeAndre Jordan somehow still finds himself in the league in 2025. In 2022, the former Clippers big man looked so washed that it was hard to imagine he would find himself a job that offseason. During the midst of a disappointing year, Jordan tried to light a spark. However, on one particular play, Jordan threw an outlet pass while down 27 points that was a bit off. He would be cut the next day.

Russell Westbrook – Had the Lakers Announcers Losing their Minds

The Russell Westbrook experience still stings for Lakers fans. The move that ruined a potential dynasty came with its fair share of low points.

One play exemplified what it felt like to watch Russell Westbrook in the purple and gold. On Oct. 23, 2022, the Lakers found themselves in a dog fight with the lottery-projected Portland Trail Blazers. After the Lakers got a critical stop up one with under a minute left, fans could taste the win. Unfortunately, Brodie had other plans. He took the ball 94 feet and inexplicably threw up a jump.

Patrick Beverley – Lakers Professional Photographer

On Jan. 28, 2023, the Lakers faced their longtime rivals, the Celtics. Los Angeles came into the game three games under .500, making this matchup as close to a must-win as you can in January. To add extra motivation, most of the Lakers were on the trading block, so everyone had to perform.

The Lakers found themselves leading late, but a missed call on a potential game-winner caused all havoc to break loose. LeBron showed as much frustration as he ever has in his 22-year career. More importantly, Patrick Beverley gave the internet an all-time meme when he grabbed a camera to show the ref the missed foul. To add fuel to the fire, it turned out the referee who missed the call, Eric Lewis, was a lifelong Celtics fan. Lakers fans would later refer to this as one of the most rigged games in NBA history.

D’Angelo Russell – Overthinking

The latest entry on this list involves perhaps the most polarizing Laker in recent memory. On one side, D’Angelo Russell made 226 3-pointers in 2023-24 on a career-high 41.5% three-point shooting percentage. On the other hand, he had plays like this.

The day after a sequence that had JJ Redick fuming, D’Angelo Russell had a chance to redeem himself. On Nov. 8, 2024, after a great defensive play by Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell had a chance to lay it in to take a 10-point lead into the half. Instead, Russell overthought the play and decided to throw up one of the worst floater attempts you’ll see. A month later, D’Lo would be traded back to Brooklyn for Dorian Finney-Smith, ending his second stint in Los Angeles.

What Have We Learned?

Looking at all these blunders, there is one thing that’s obvious: Boneheaded mistakes by players with a higher likelihood to make on-court mishaps does not mean failure. JaVale McGee won a championship starting for the Lakers, D’Angelo Russell broke the Lakers single season three-point record, and Carmelo Anthony had a positive final season in the league. However, these players, by and large, created more problems than solutions.

The Westbrook trade will go down as Lakers GM Rob Pelinka’s worst move, and signings like DeAndre Jordan and Lance Stephenson not only looked bad at the time, but they look worse with hindsight. Having LeBron James on your roster means you are in constant title contention. These blunders are only heightened under the big lights of Los Angeles.

Perhaps with a different team, these Shaqtin’ A Fool-worthy moments would go under the radar. In any event, it makes for great entertainment and is another reason why the Lakers are must-watch television.