Bold claim first: the viral “6-7” craze isn’t fading, and it’s shaping how fans watch basketball nationwide. LaMelo Ball’s rising star power isn’t the sole driver here; the height-themed phenomenon is being leveraged by teams to boost engagement and marketability. Charlotte is actively leaning into this trend, turning height into a playful, shareable moment for fans.
Dictionary.com crowned “6-7” as its word of the year for 2025, and the global buzz shows no signs of stopping. The phenomenon travels beyond pro arenas to college gyms, where students, players, and coaches alike chase the moment when a team nears 67 points, triggering a surge of excitement and celebration.
6-7 cameras at some NBA games, including Charlotte and New Orleans, are part of the marketing play. Seth Bennett, the Hornets’ chief marketing officer, explained that the team started exploring a dedicated “6-7” camera during timeouts to ride the trend and capitalize on Ball’s involvement. This is about listening to fans and delivering an experience that resonates with what they’re into, making the live viewing feel more connected and fun.
Where did the trend begin? Skrilla’s 2024 track “Doot Doot (6-7)” gained sudden popularity after a low-key release, exploding on TikTok with basketball players like Ball and rising star Taylen Kinney driving the craze. The exact meaning of “6-7” remains intentionally ambiguous; Skrilla kept it mysterious when pressed for a definition. He told the Associated Press that everyone created their own meaning—from teachers to athletes to fans—so the term has become a global, self-made phenomenon that’s bigger than any single person.
There’s a distinctive hand gesture that accompanies the meme: palms up, alternating arm lifts in a quick sequence. Miles Bridges, a 6-foot-7 forward for Charlotte, popularized the gesture after a 3-pointer against the Pacers, signaling how players and teams are in on the fun.
Bennett notes that this is a lighthearted way for the team to tease Ball and celebrate together, with Ball always taking it in stride. Fans across the country have kept a close watch on 67 points, with the trend making its way from women’s college basketball—where Oklahoma and others began embracing signs and celebrations—to men’s college and NBA games.
Oklahoma’s Aaliyah Chavez hit a buzzer-beater 3 to push a decoupled moment to 67, prompting a stadium-wide eruption and a sense of shared, spontaneous joy. Beers, the Sooners’ center, framed the moment as a chance to lean into the crowd’s energy and the current 6-7 moment, while USC’s Annenberg Institute observer Daniel Durbin highlighted the broader history of arbitrary fan traditions that heighten connection to the game—from ritual superstitions to postwalk reminders on campus.
Coaches are joining in, too. Maryland wore a 67 jersey during Field Trip Day, and LSU’s Kim Mulkey displayed the hand gesture on the big screen during a win, triggering cheers and laughs from players. Even in competition, the game’s social layer—this playful numeric ritual—adds a communal flavor that fans savor. When TCU women beat Baylor 83-67, the duo Miles and Suarez contributed enough to prompt their coach, Mark Campbell, to remark on the unusual double-figure duo achieving 67 in a single game.
Bottom line: the 6-7 craze demonstrates how fans’ rituals, memes, and tailored marketing can rewrite the experience of watching basketball. It’s a reminder that fan culture evolves through shared moments, creative symbolism, and the playful blurring of line between sport and spectacle.
Would you say this trend enhances the game experience or distracts from the sport itself? Share your thoughts in the comments.
