"Nice" - NBA fans react to LeBron James reaching 42069 career points
LeBron James has been the NBA's all-time leading scorer since surpassing former Laker legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar more than two years ago, and the future Hall of Famer has been putting distance between himself and the rest of his competition ever since.
However, fans took a moment to celebrate the Lakers forward reaching a comical milestone after he finished Thursday night's game with 42,069 career points. The combination of numbers has become a cultural symbol of both cannibis and intimacy in today's world, according to Time writer Olivia Waxman and Intelligencer writer Brian Feldman.
"420 is a well-known code tied to cannabis culture—originally from a group of high schoolers in the '70s who’d meet at 4:20 p.m. to smoke, it’s since become a universal wink at weed. 69, on the other hand, is a meme staple thanks to its association with a certain cheeky bedroom position, making it a go-to for juvenile giggles," said Feldman about the story behind the numbers' meaning. "When you slap them together as 42069, it’s like a double whammy of edgy, silly vibes that’s catnip for online reactions."
NBA fans took to Reddit to celebrate the LeBron James' point total, with one using just one word to describe it; "nice". According to Feldman, the word "nice" serves as a nod to the combination of both 420 and 69.
"The "nice" part? It’s just playful shorthand, often ironic, for acknowledging something amusingly perfect—here, the combo of two culturally loaded numbers hitting just right."
Fans were happy that LeBron James inadvertently gave them something to laugh about instead of scoring any more points.
"Nice," one fan said about the humorous point total.
"The legacy conversations would feed us the rest of our lives," commented another on whether or not James should retire.
"Wake me up when he hits 69,420," said another, setting another comical challenge for The King.
"This is the hard hitting analysis I come here for," commented one fan jokingly.
"Y'know, I've always thought Jordan was the goat... but now..." questioned one fan.
"LeNice," said another, giving James a new nickname.
LeBron James has become more in touch with today's pop culture and the media
While he will likely deny that not he intentionally stopped at 42,069 career regular season points as a joke, LeBron James has made an effort to insert himself into the media and meme world more. James has amassed a large fanbase throughout his career, with most modern NBA fans declaring him the greatest basketball player of all time, putting him in direct competition with Michael Jordan.
LeBron James has been the subject of many memes throughout his career, from the Banana Boat crew to the songs that have been made about him by fans this season. However, LeBron hasn't been fully positive with his participation in the media world, confronting ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith about his son.
LeBron James carries a large amount of influence in the basketball world and has taken it upon himself to call out sports media for being too negative about the NBA and putting too much pressure on its players. LeBron has become adept at maintaining his image, and this conspicuous point total helps him retain his popularity amongst modern basketball fans.