NBA star Derrick Rose and five-star prospect Taylen Kinney. (Image via Instagram @taylen_kinney13)

"Brain rot at its finest": Hoops fans react to interaction between Derrick Rose and 5-star prospect Taylen Kinney

Modified Jun 03, 2025 23:05 GMT

Five-star class of 2026 prospect Taylen Kinney, who went viral for his iconic "6-7" meme, is still riding the wave, and this time, he brought NBA star Derrick Rose into it.

On Tuesday, OTE shared an Instagram video of Kinney having a light-hearted moment with the 3-time NBA All-Star. During a brief interview, Kinney asked Rose, "What's 43 plus 24?" When Rose answered "67," Kinney seized the moment to drop his signature "6-7" line, sparking laughter from the Memphis Grizzlies point guard.

The video has sparked mixed reactions from basketball fans. Some fans feel the meme has run its course and didn't think getting Derrick Rose involved was funny at all.

"Got a chance to ask d Rose anything and u ask that lmao brain rot at its finest," one fan said.

"Are we deadass bro. This stopped being funny 5 weeks ago ," said another.

"This generation is so damn corny😭. Imagine getting an interview with Drose and talking to him about sum brain rot shit," another fan said.

Some fans even admitted that they don't get the meme at all, saying they don't understand the joke or even the point behind it.

"I don't understand this joke at all," one fan said.

"wtf does this even mean. And why would that be your question for him 😂😂😂😂😂😂," said another.

"I know I'm old cuz I've been watching basketball since b4 D Rose got into U of Memphis & I have no clue what that means," another fan said.

Hoops fans react to interaction between Derrick Rose and 5-star prospect Taylen Kinney. (Images via Instagram @ote)

Kinney accidentally sparked a meme when he jokingly claimed in an interview that he’s 6-foot-7, which is taller than he is. That playful exaggeration caught on fast, blowing up all over TikTok and Instagram. Since then, the 6-foot-1 point guard has been having fun with it, dropping that height line over and over whenever he gets the chance.

Taylen Kinney just concluded his junior year with RWE at the Overtime Elite League. In the just-concluded season, he averaged 20.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.3 steals per game.

Where will Taylen Kinney play college basketball?

With one year of high school basketball still ahead of him, Taylen Kinney is already a hot prospect on the recruiting trail. Currently, Kinney holds 31 college offers from top programs like Kentucky, Louisville, Purdue, Oregon, Cincinnati, Arkansas, Notre Dame and Tennessee.

According to On3's prediction model, Kentucky is currently leading the race for Taylen Kinney's commitment with a 25.8% chance. He's already made five unofficial visits to the school and has an official visit planned.

Other top contenders in Kinney's recruitment include Louisville with a 22.6% chance, Purdue at 19.4% and Oregon at 12.2%, according to On3's prediction model. Cincinnati and Notre Dame are also in the mix, each holding a 4.6% chance.

About the author

Inioluwa is a High School Sports journalist with a BSc in Microbiology and four years of experience in the field. His love of sports led him to develop an interest in journalism, and that led him here.

A Golden State Warriors fan, Inioluwa's favorite player in sports is Steph Curry and his favorite coach is Steve Kerr. His favorite sporting moment was the Warriors winning the Championship in 2015 after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games.

When not watching or writing about sports, Inioluwa likes to play football and enjoys gaming, especially football manager.

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