LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are now down 3-1 to Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves in their 2025 NBA Playoffs series.

The predicament has led to a resurgence in the "LeBron Down 3-1" meme.

The meme uses a photo of James wearing earbuds and sunglasses, looking focused. Famously, James was down 3-1 in the 2016 NBA Finals series, which was when the photo was taken. Basketball buffs know what happened that year.

But for those who don't, let's explain the "LeBron Down 3-1" meme. Where did it come from? What happened in 2016, and why is it resurfacing right now?

Where Did The 'LeBron Down 3-1' Meme Come From?

The 2016 NBA Finals were a big turning point in LeBron James' career. He was on the Cleveland Cavaliers at the time (his hometown team and original team before "The Deicision"), facing off against Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors.

James and the Cavs faced a 3-1 deficit after four games, and James was filmed in the locker room after Game 4, seen wearing earbuds and sunglasses. He looked like he was in another realm, and the headline below him read, "No team in NBA Finals history has come back from trailing 3-1."

James' fans and any NBA nerd know that James broke that stigma by leading the Cavs to a four-game win streak to claim the 2016 Finals victory.

A year later, in April 2017, a Twitter user named @DrewPotterOffic tweeted a screencap of the news report, using it to make a joke about "students trying to turn that 63.21 into a 90." The post is the first known meme with the image.




How Is The 'LeBron Down 3-1' Meme Used Online?

The meme mentioned above set a precedent for how the "LeBron Down 3-1" image should be used online. It's mostly used to represent a moment of extreme focus in preparation for a feat that seems impossible to conquer.

The humor lies in the "feat" name-dropped in the meme, which is often silly and not as monumental as James' 2016 comeback.

Another use is centered on photoshops, in which James is replaced by other NBA players such as Nikola Jokić or Ja Morant. This is usually when they're down 3-1 in their own series.




Why Is The 'LeBron Down 3-1' Meme Trending Right Now?

The LA Lakers are facing the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of this year's NBA Playoffs. After four games, the Lakers are now down three games to one.

Therefore, Lakers fans and LeBron fans around the world are looking to the "LeBron Down 3-1" meme to cope with the situation and bring hope to the franchise.

Plus, there are so many memes about LeBron James already. His likeness is used to represent a spectrum of emotions, ranging from crying to smiling, and so on.

There are so many LeBron memes and hype that jokes about his fans "glazing" him have surfaced en masse over the past few years.

In many ways, the "LeBron Down 3-1" meme is another trend that honors the famous player. For his fans, it's just too bad that, at this point in the Timberwolves series, "Lakers in 5" looks impossible.




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For the full history of LeBron Down 3-1, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's entry for even more information.