Every day, NBA athletes are made part of countless memes on the internet. Over the years, more athletes have shown awareness about the memes that are made on them. Recently, Golden State Warriors star Buddy Hield took it a step further and actually liked a meme made at his expense.

The Hield meme was shared by the Instagram page ‘hoopsnation’, and it made fun of the 31-year-old’s career pattern. The meme described how Hield is only good for a franchise for 10 games. He balls out in those games, making fans think they acquired a great player. However, he soon gets into a prolonged slump, after which he inevitably ends up being traded. And the cycle continues like that from team to team.

The post captioned, ‘The Buddy Hield Cycle’ showed the four stages of Hield’s career in a cyclical image. Step one, “Gets traded.” Step two, “[Hield] balls out for 10 games.” Step three, “New fans question why the last fanbase didn’t want him.” Step four, “[Hield] shoots them out of games and plays no defense.” And then the arrow points once again to Step one making a full circle.

A screengrab from the X account japta showed that Hield actually liked the post from his Instagram account. “WHY AM I ON INSTAGRAM AND WHY DID BUDDY ACTUALLY LIKE IT,” the user wrote after sharing the screengrab.

Hield joined the league in 2016 with the New Orleans Pelicans. Including his current stint with the Warriors, he has been with five different teams so far in a career that’s only eight years old. So, the jokes aren’t too far from the truth. As for the numbers he produces, that is a pretty spot-on observation as well.

WHY AM I ON INSTAGRAM AND WHY DID BUDDY ACTUALLY LIKE IT LMFAOOOOOOOOOOO pic.twitter.com/R2eND1uXrq

— japta (@DubsBetterr) December 8, 2024

Hield started the season with the Warriors on a high note. In the first game, he dropped 22 points with five rebounds on 66.7% shooting from the field and 71.4% shooting from the three-point line. After the first 10 games, he was averaging 18 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game with 50% shooting from the field and 48.8% from beyond the arc.

In the last 10 appearances, his numbers have dropped drastically. Hield is now averaging 9.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.9 assists with 35.7% shooting from the field and 34.9% from the three-point line. The veteran guard was brought in as a replacement for Klay Thompson, but that void will be difficult to fill with such inconsistent performances.

It is uncertain if Hield wanted to indicate a potential trade by liking the post.

However, he is not the only one struggling. The team’s overall performance has also taken a dip. The Warriors have lost six of their last seven games and currently have a 13-9 record.

The fact that Hield liked the meme that roasted him could also mean that he is acknowledging the issue with his game. Warriors fans can be hopeful that the sharpshooter will work on his weaknesses and contribute more to the team’s success.