SUMMARY
- The Toronto Raptors were defeated 98-111 by the Orlando Magic recently.
- Paolo Banchero was the star of the night, with 29 points.
The Toronto Raptors recently faced the Orlando Magic at the Kia Center. The Orlando Magic won the game 98-111, thanks to a 29-point game from Paolo Banchero. Franz Wagner also had a decent game, scoring 22 points. Both teams boasted some serious young talent, including Banchero, Anthony Black, and Gradey Dick.
But their performances were not what caught the eye of the entire world on the night. Following the final buzzer, Anthony Black and Gradey Dick decided to swap their jerseys. For those who don’t know, this is a tradition that has been becoming popular in recent times.
This is wild. 💀
Gradey Dick-Anthony Black jersey swap
(via @OrlandoMagic) pic.twitter.com/3oqOyZFGLE
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) March 18, 2024
Players tend to swap their jerseys with their opponents who are from their country, draft class, university, or even just to show some respect to them as a rival. This was certainly what the two young stars did. But their names have caused a stir online, as fans have produced some wild reactions to the incident. An X (formerly known as Twitter) user even claimed that a fine from the league was pending for the players.
They really did it for meme culture. Amazing.
— Ifℝα༻ (@afreebirdiee) March 18, 2024
Fine pending…..lol
— iamjavonnanton (@RavishBirdRude) March 18, 2024
The players have not commented on the frenzy that the image has caused on the internet, and it looks likely to remain that way in the coming days as well.
The Orlando Magic’s LinkedIn post was made before the jersey swap
Recently, a user on X, with the username ‘@LakeShowYo,’ claimed that the Orlando Magic franchise fired their social media graduate associate after the viral image was posted. The franchise indeed deleted the post on their social media platforms, but it remains unknown whether they have relieved their social media team of their duties.
they fired him 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/DC7c0GEopo
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) March 18, 2024
But the user also displayed a LinkedIn post made by the official Orlando Magic organization, which is legitimate. It certainly looks like the team is in search of a social media graduate associate but the only difference is that it was reposted three days ago, before March 17. Hence, it wouldn’t make much sense to claim that the franchise fired the social media team member after the image was posted.