One of the greatest aspects of social media is that it’s become a platform for creativity. Whether serious or comedic, outlets such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have enabled every-day people to speak their minds.
Sometimes, it’s massive stars that show us their comical side. Sometimes, it’s NBA teams that out-do their millions of rivals in creating the most memorable posts.
On Wednesday, August 20, the association reached new heights of social media mastery with a unique challenge: NBA movies.
A very strong case could be made that the Milwaukee Bucks had the best compilation of posters.
The best of #NBAMovies hashtag fun » http://t.co/1xoYINvnzc pic.twitter.com/5hwpVX763J
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) August 21, 2014
Get Him to the Greek is a good one featuring Giannis Antetokounmpo, but this is all about Forgetting Kendall Marshall.
Despite ranking No. 2 in the NBA with 8.8 assists per game, Kendall Marshall was cut by the Los Angeles Lakers this summer. Marshall, a social media master in his own right, was the perfect player to hypothetically parody Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
If only it could actually happen.
Other standouts included the Denver Nuggets play on the iconic film Titanic, with Ty Lawson replacing Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role of Jack Dawson:
“I’m the king of the world!” #NBAMovies pic.twitter.com/3hUbWTLK3y — Denver Nuggets (@denvernuggets) August 20, 2014
Lawson, Dawson—who’s nitpicking?
The Philadelphia 76ers wasted no time in producing a memorable poster of its own. Going far from the norm, Philly capitalized on one of its rookies and his social media hilarity.
Joel Embiid replaces Michael Keaton on the poster for the unforgettable Beetlejuice:
Embiidlejuice #NBAMovies pic.twitter.com/pktadV04iu
— Philadelphia 76ers (@Sixers) August 20, 2014
Last but not least, Golden State Warriors guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson take Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly’s place in Step Brothers as the Splash Brothers:
Splash Brothers #NBAMovies pic.twitter.com/SAO6FN1ht4 — Golden St. Warriors (@warriors) August 20, 2014
If you have a sense of humor, you enjoy these images.
Few concepts were quite as comical and self-depreciating as the one produced by the Utah Jazz. A team removed from but familiar with glory, Utah took this challenge as an opportunity to laugh about what could’ve been.
One of the best teams to never win a title was given a comedic break by the Jazz organization itself.
Not only did Utah replace Macaulay Culkin with Karl Malone, but it swapped out Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern for Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman. For those unfamiliar, that’s a play on the John Hughes and Chris Columbus classic Home Alone.
Comedy at its finest.
Home Malone #NBAMovies pic.twitter.com/uhafhy28mX
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) August 20, 2014
The only difference is, Culkin’s character Kevin McCallister ended up on the winning end of his battles with Harry Lime and Marv Merchants. Malone and the Jazz lost to Jordan, Rodman and the Chicago Bulls in both the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals.
It’s only a low-blow if it isn’t true.
This is a prime example of why social media can be such a glorious thing. At a time where tragedy overwhelms the United States of America, comedic relief is genuinely needed for brief moments of clarity and glee.
Hats off to the NBA for giving social media something to smile about.