Photo Credit: Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images
Memes Rule Everything Around Me: Kawhi Leonard "What It Do, Baby," Upset Courtside Drake & More
Source: Serge Ibaka
"What it do, babyyy?"
Wow. In what is arguably the first time in Memes Rule Everything Around Me history, a certain person has back-to-back top memes. Yes, I'm talking about Drake, Canada's beloved pop star who also topped last month's roundup of memes with his "We created this speech."
It's ironic that that meme, as well as the one being highlighted in this roundup, both came about during this year's NBA Finals when the Toronto Raptors faced off against the Golden State Warriors and won. But before we get ahead ourselves, let's acknowledge the meme that has currently taken over social media — Kawhi Leonard's "What it do, baby?"
Although Leonard has described himself as a "fun guy," he often comes across as unenthused when he's not on the court — and this meme is a testament to that. Fellow Raptor Serge Ibaka took the original video where the meme came from following the team's championship win on Snapchat. It was then reposted on Twitter by user @MSlickk.
\u201cMy guys! Kawhi kills me\u201d— M. (@M.) 1560640324
Since then, users have cut down the video to just Leonard saying "What it do, baby?" and using the clip as a reaction meme for a range of situations, including dating struggles, ghosting, subscription services taking your money unexpectedly, and rappers who have "baby" in their rap name.
\u201cWhen da baby see lil baby \ud83d\ude02\u201d— thick ross (@thick ross) 1561336218
\u201cMe: Damn my account lookin kinda low lemme chill \n\nApple Music:\u201d— Nigerian Giant (@Nigerian Giant) 1561401429
Surely, this same question embodies how Toronto feels about Leonard's unknown future with the city following the championship win. Nothing has been confirmed yet, although there are rumors that he's expected to stay.
So, Kawhi Leonard — what it do, baby?
Prior to Leonard's meme takeover, Spongebob Squarepants had kicked the month off with yet another new, popular meme.
\u201cme when the french part on partition comes on https://t.co/gVL6rph4hb\u201d— \ud83c\udf51 (@\ud83c\udf51) 1559409232
The meme, which is centered around the image of a motionless and wide-eyed Spongebob, stems from the Spongebob episode, "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy." In the episode, Patrick pretends to rob Spongebob, who's dressed up as a damsel in distress. Social media users have since transformed Spongebob into a Nicki Minaj fan, an emo teen, and more, the image used to set up countless online jokes and becoming a popular meme in the process.
\u201cThis Tweet from @peppablink has been withheld in response to a report from the copyright holder. Learn more.\u201d— \u064b (@\u064b) 1559514647
\u201c13 year old me trying to convince my mom it\u2019s not a phase\u201d— Certified Libra Girl (@Certified Libra Girl) 1559694327
None— DJ 4everplay (@DJ 4everplay) 1559542152
\u201cwhen you show up to the party 3 hours late and they\u2019re still setting up\u201d— mercy \ud83c\uddf3\ud83c\uddec (@mercy \ud83c\uddf3\ud83c\uddec) 1559934431
The new Spongebob meme is timely, considering the popular Nickelodeon cartoon will be turning 20 next month.
Now, before we get to Drake, it's only right that we also give a shoutout to Marsai Martin, who recreated her iconic meme this past weekend at the BET Awards. When it was announced that the 14-year-old had won the night's Young Stars Award, Martin looked on in shock, her response captured in real time for everyone to see and inevitably meme.
\u201cWhen you thought your account had $7.28... & you check it and see $149.61 \u203c\ufe0f\ud83e\udd27\ud83d\ude02 #BETAwards19\u201d— DATBOYHARLEM (@DATBOYHARLEM) 1561352711
The image was reminiscent of this scene from black-ish, where Martin, portraying Diane Johnson, is making a similar face.
\u201c@fmason3 @steenfox I'm already a Meme... But at least I'm not a mean meme ... That poor baby \ud83d\ude1e\u201d— \ud83d\ude0a\u270c\ud83c\udffe (@\ud83d\ude0a\u270c\ud83c\udffe) 1433302420
And now...Drake. Last month, he gave us the inescapable "We created this" meme. This month, he gave us a meme that offers an accurate representation of what can only be described as fake disappointment.
\u201cDrake got emotional as he watched Kevin Durant leave the court with an Achilles injury. \n\n#NBAFinals\u201d— NBA on TNT (@NBA on TNT) 1560267000
The clip, in which an upset Drake is courtside, came from Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Drake's expression was in response to Kevin Durant rupturing his Achilles tendon and being escorted off of the court. It seems that Drake's emotional response to Durant's exit was sincere. Following the game, he took to Instagram and dedicated a post to the Warriors small forward.
"Was tough for any of us to even enjoy that game tonight after seeing this transpire," Drake wrote. "Praying for our brother. That's my only concern tonight is your well being. 'The game needs me' is an understatement when it comes to 35. Please wish the best for this true warrior."
Regardless, social media users transformed the moment into a meme primarily used for situations where someone has to pretend to be shocked or disappointed when, in reality, they aren't. However, there are some captions that do reflect the sincere disappointment Drake may or may not have been expressing.
None— mits (@mits) 1560321427
None— Meredith Frost (@Meredith Frost) 1560449610
\u201cMe acting fake mad plans got cancelled even tho I wasn\u2019t pulling up anyways. https://t.co/jjcC1HhdbK\u201d— BIGNOAH \ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83d\udcbb (@BIGNOAH \ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83d\udcbb) 1560224566
Well, there you have it. These were the most popular memes for the month of July. And yes, always, we have some honorable mentions.
Trying to do the math but the math ain't working.
\u201cme going through five different restaurants on uber eats wondering if it\u2019s worth the $20 just to end up closing the app https://t.co/wCy199sxD8\u201d— zoe kravtiz is a nasty woman (@zoe kravtiz is a nasty woman) 1561133466
Not real hot girl shit.
\u201cWhen you\u2019ve been claiming hot girl summer but your friends find out you\u2019ve been sending paragraphs to a nigga\u201d— yawa (@yawa) 1561054159
The Love & Hip-Hop Whisperer.
\u201cASMR Love & HipHop Edition \ud83d\ude02\u201d— \u029f\u1d07\u1d07\u0280\u1d0f\u028f. (@\u029f\u1d07\u1d07\u0280\u1d0f\u028f.) 1561429986