Austin Reaves had the kind of playoff shooting night that fans do not let disappear quietly.
The LA Lakers needed a reliable scoring option against the Oklahoma City Thunder, especially in a postseason game where every missed shot carried more weight.
Instead, Reaves became the center of a brutal viral joke, and his final stat line created the perfect opening for NBA fans to bring WWE into the conversation.
Austin Reaves gets mocked after brutal playoff shooting night
As highlighted by Hater Report on X, Reaves finished with a disastrous shooting line.
He scored just eight points while going 3-of-16 from the field and 0-of-5 from three-point range.
That 18.8% field goal mark was the lowest by a Lakers player in a playoff game over the last 35 years among players with at least 15 shot attempts.
For a team depending on him to provide secondary scoring, it was a rough moment at the worst possible time.
Why the Austin 3:16 WWE meme went viral
The joke came directly from Reaves’ 3-of-16 shooting line.
Fans immediately connected “3-16” to “Austin 3:16,” the legendary WWE phrase made famous by Stone Cold Steve Austin after the 1996 King of the Ring.
In wrestling, “Austin 3:16” became one of the most iconic catchphrases ever. In this case, fans twisted it into a taunt because Reaves’ first name is Austin and his shooting line was 3-16.
The timing made it even harsher. The Lakers lost 108-90 to the Thunder, and Reaves’ poor shooting quickly became one of the biggest talking points from the game.
He also had four turnovers and finished minus-10, which only added to the criticism online. It was one of those playoff nights where the box score did not just hurt the team; it created a meme.
And for Reaves, “Austin 3:16” is the kind of joke fans will not forget unless he responds on the court quickly.
Read more:
