The Los Angeles Lakers easily lost the first three games to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs. It was thought that they would have to accept an early “vacation” (the Nuggets have defeated the Lakers 11 times in a row since the 2022-23 season), but LeBron James and his teammates did not give up.
In Game 4, James played very impressively with 30 points, Anthony Davis also contributed 25 points and 23 rebounds, helping the Lakers end the losing streak against the Nuggets. Finally, they also found the answer to counter MVP Nikola Jokic to get the victory.
“When we were pushed into a corner, we came out victorious and gave ourselves a chance,” James said after Los Angeles won and closed the gap.
This situation reminded fans of the legendary LeBron James 3-1 meme, originating from the 2016 NBA Finals.
NBA LEAGUE PASS: Sign up now to watch every game (7-day FREE trial)
What is the LeBron James 3-1 meme? LeBron James 3-1 meme meaning explained
The LeBron James 3-1 meme is a photo of the NBA legend wearing black sunglasses and white headphones. The photo comes from an NBA TV broadcast, capturing the moment James focused before Game 5 between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals – where James’ Cavaliers were trailing the Warriors 3-1.
The graphic on NBA TV also displayed the words “No team has ever come back from a 3-1 deficit (0-32) in the NBA Finals.” This means Cleveland will need to pull off a miracle if it wants to win the 2016 NBA championship ring, something that 32 other teams in similar situations have never done before.
Why did the LeBron James 3-1 meme become so popular?
Perhaps, no one would remember the above photo if the Cavaliers lost. However, LeBron James had a sweet response for NBA TV, making the photo a phenomenon on social media.
In Game 5, Cleveland took advantage of the Warriors missing star Draymond Green, who was suspended for one game. James and Kyrie Irving became the first duo to score 40 points in the same game in NBA Finals history, thereby reducing the score to 2-3.
Returning home for Game 6, the Cavaliers won again, with another 41-point performance from “King James”. And Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals went down in NBA history as one of the most classic Finals.
LeBron’s iconic block on Andre Iguodala became legendary, helping the Cavaliers complete the feat in the deciding game. The Cleveland Cavaliers made NBA Finals history as the first team to win the championship despite being down 3-1.
LeBron James overcame all doubts from NBA TV to create a fairy tale in the 2016 NBA Finals. And that’s how the photo became a legendary internet meme.
SEE MORE: LeBron James’s unexpected changes to maintain his peak in the 2023/24 season
