An obscure Saturday Night Live skit has been transformed into a viral meme format over on Instagram Reels and TikTok, and it's being used to comedically call out uselessness in all its forms.

"The Other Cavaliers" skit is all about the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers players who weren't LeBron James, and it doesn't exactly paint them in a positive light. Now, short-form video creators are using the clip in creative and highly critical ways.

So, what exactly is The Other Cavaliers skit, what does it mean and how is it being used as a meme? Here's what you need to know.

What Is 'The Other Cavaliers' Meme?

In May 2018, the Saturday Night Live YouTube channel released a never-before-seen skit that was cut for time. In the skit, actors including Donald Glover, Kenan Thompson and Pete Davidson play the members of the Cleveland Cavaliers NBA team who aren't superstar LeBron James.

The joke throughout the skit is that the other players are useless at playing basketball. They spend the skit explaining all the non-basketball-related things they're good at that help LeBron James thrive at the game.

Then, in late July 2026, the skit unexpectedly resurfaced on Instagram as it became the subject of memes.

One of the earliest examples was posted on July 28th and uses the video to call a team of players during a Marvel Rivals game useless.

How Is 'The Other Cavaliers' Used In Memes?

The Other Cavaliers skit is largely used as a reaction video to suggest that something or someone is useless.

As a format, the video is played in a window while the useless subject is shown in the background, circled in red. Sometimes, the subject is simply an unknown character, rather than an explicitly useless character.

Some other examples of the meme include Accuracy Reenactments and lip dub memes that similarly call something out for being useless or pointless. This meme is the most prevalent on Instagram Reels and TikTok.

@jaden.velez2011 #sonic #sonicthehedgehog #sonicmemes #theothercavaliers #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp ♬ original sound – 𝕁𝕒𝕕𝕖𝕟⭐️

What Are Some More 'The Other Cavaliers' Memes?

@darkxvanna17 is glitch bankrupt now #fyp #theothercavaliers #viral #glitchproductions ♬ original sound – vanna 🧁

@journeygurt ESPECIALLY matsuda #fyp #deathnote #viral #theothercavaliers #anime ♬ original sound – 여정

@s038v_anderson The other cavaliers #minecraft #lebron #minecraft #meme #fyp ♬ original sound – SV038

@cumfettibug Only provinces people know✌️##CapCut##fyp##funny##theothercavaliers##canada ♬ original sound – Spungus(pace arrow)

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For the full history of the Other Cavaliers meme, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.