The '6-7' craze is going strong at NBA and college basketball games

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — LaMelo Ball has never been more popular, and it's not because Charlotte's 6-foot-7 star has the Hornets fighting for a playoff spot.

They hype is largely about his height. And Charlotte is trying to take advantage.

Dictionary.com named the term “6-7” its word of the year for 2025, and the global “6-7” craze is still going strong at pro and college basketball games. Young fans, players and coaches eagerly track when teams near 67 points, and pandemonium ensues when their team hits the mark.

The Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans are among NBA teams that feature “6-7” cams during timeouts at some games. Seth Bennett, the Hornets’ chief marketing officer, said Charlotte’s marketing and game presentation teams started discussing a possible “6-7” cam to capitalize on the trend and Ball’s involvement in it.

“For us as a franchise, we always want to listen to our fans, and sometimes you listen to observing what they’re into, their trends and likes, and it’s a way for us to connect to that and hopefully have them connect to us in a fun way when they’re experiencing it here,” Bennett said.

The Hornets’ cam is mostly limited to kids days and weekend games so it doesn’t get old. Michael Robinson, who attended a game between the Hornets and 76ers with his 6-year-old son, Abel, said it’s nonstop at home.

Abel said he learned about it from his friends and on YouTube.

“It’s just cool,” Abel said. “It’s fun.”

The origins of the “6-7” boom are Skrilla's 2024 song “Doot Doot (6-7).” Skrilla leaked the song without much expectation, but it exploded on TikTok last year with basketball players, including Ball and prep standout Taylen Kinney, driving its popularity.

No one is quite sure what 6-7 means, and Skrilla kept it that way when asked for a definition.

“Everybody created their own meaning,” he told The Associated Press. “The teachers created their own meaning. The football teams created their own, the basketball (players). ‘6-7’ is global. It’s bigger than me now. So ‘6-7.’ Shout out to ‘6-7.’”

The nonsensical meme has its own hand gesture, too — flip your palms up, and alternate lifting your arms. Charlotte forward Miles Bridges made the gesture several weeks ago after hitting a 3-pointer against the Indiana Pacers.

Bridges also is 6-foot-7.

“I think that’s the team’s way of having a little fun with LaMelo anytime that they can kind of incorporate that in just to tease him a little bit, and he’s a great sport about it as well,” Bennett said.

Fans have been on 67-point watch at games across the country. It seemed to bubble up first at women's college games, including at Oklahoma. Now, fans there hold up signs handed out by the school.

On Dec. 22, the Sooners led North Carolina Central 64-29 in the closing seconds of the first half. When Aaliyah Chavez drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer, fans went wild.

Oklahoma center Raegan Beers said the team enjoyed giving the fans that moment.

“That’s why I love this game (with the kids),” she said. “I know a lot of us love this game here, just to have that energy in the building, and obviously lean into what’s trending at the moment, which is 6-7, whatever that means. And so it was so much fun to have that moment and just let the kids enjoy it.”

Daniel Durbin, director of Southern California’s Annenberg Institute of Sports, Media and Society, attended USC’s women’s basketball game against Rutgers on Feb. 1 and witnessed the phenomenon first hand. He noted that the DJ even announced the possibility. The Trojans missed two free throws at 66, building the anticipation. When Yakiya Milton made a free throw that pushed the score to 67, the crowd erupted into what Durbin called the loudest cheer of the game.

Durbin said it falls under the long history of arbitrary sports traditions fans have created to feel more connected to the action.

“Think of all the superstitions fans have during games, rituals that they enact to ‘help’ the team win,” he said. “As fans walk across the street to USC football games, most of them kick the base of a certain lamppost. Why? It makes them part of the game. They are enacting a meaningless ritual many USC fans perform for ‘luck.’”

Even the coaches are in on it. On Maryland’s annual Field Trip Day game, Terrapins coach Brenda Frese wore a jersey with the number 67 on it before tipoff. LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey did the hand gesture while on the big screen during a win over Morgan State, drawing an eruption from the home crowd and laughter from her players.

Mulkey said her grandson got upset with her after a game because LSU skipped 67 points and went straight to 68.

TCU's women beat Baylor 83-67 on Feb. 12, and Olivia Miles scored 40 points and Marta Suarez scored 27 — a combined 67. With the two at his side in the postgame media session, Horned Frogs coach Mark Campbell got sucked in.

“For a duo, I've never been a part of a duo that scored 67 points in one game,” he said.

As Miles did the hand gesture and Suarez laughed, Campbell pointed at Miles and said, “That's crazy. ‘6-7,’” as he added the hand gesture.

The trend has impacted the game on the court at times, too. After Maryland took a 64-18 lead against Central Connecticut State in December, the Terps attempted five straight 3-pointers before Yarden Garzon finally made one to give Maryland exactly 67 points.

The craze is perplexing to parents, but Bennett said the Hornets have embraced it to bring joy to young people.

“Overall, it’s been positive,” he said. “No way to make a negative out of something that’s just really nothing attached to it, just fun.”

This story has been corrected to show that a quote about the Hornets embracing the 6-7 craze that was attributed to fan Michael Robinson came from Seth Bennett, the team's chief marketing officer.

AP Sports Writers Brett Martel in New Orleans and Steve Reed in Charlotte, North Carolina, contributed to this report.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

FILE - Oklahoma fans hold up a giant 6-7 sign during the second half of a NCAA college basketball game against South Carolina, Jan. 22, 2026 in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams, file)

FILE - Rapper Skrilla reacts during an NBA basketball game Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

FILE - Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges makes the "6-7" motion after scoring against the Washington Wizards during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Jan. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond, file)

FILE - Oklahoma fans hold up a giant 6-7 sign during the second half of a NCAA college basketball game against South Carolina Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026 in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams, File)

FILE - Baylor fans holding up a 6-7 sign cheer during an NCAA college basketball game against BYU, Feb. 10, 2026, in Waco, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, file)

PALLEKELE, Sri Lanka (AP) — Pathum Nissanka's unbeaten 100 powered Sri Lanka into the T20 World Cup Super 8s and left former champion Australia's prospects hanging by a thread on Monday.

Sri Lanka thrashed Australia by eight wickets with two overs to spare. Pavan Rathnayake hit the winning runs straight after Nissanka reached his century off 52 balls and was greeted by massive cheers in Pallekele International Stadium. The packed crowd roared again one delivery later when Rathanayake finished the match with a boundary to deep square.

The third win from three matches ensured Sri Lanka advanced to the second round, two years after failing to do so for the first time at the T20 World Cup in the West Indies.

Australia could be knocked out in the group stage for the first time since 2009 if unbeaten Zimbabwe beats Ireland on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, England also reached the Super 8s after a surviving a scare from Italy in Kolkata. England came back from 105-5 to post 202-7. Italy was cut short on 178.

In New Delhi, Afghanistan shrugged off back-to-back defeats to finally register a win after beating the United Arab Emirates by five wickets. That secured South Africa a spot in the Super 8s.

Despite the short boundaries, Australia was all out for 181 and Sri Lanka chased it down in style at 184-2.

Kusal Mendis joined Nissanka at 8-1 and was the main aggressor in their 97-run stand off 66 balls. Mendis hit his third half-century of the tournament then was out for 51 off 38 in the 13th over.

Nissanka then finished the match with Rathnayake, scoring 51 of the last 79 runs. He achieved his second T20 century and the second for Sri Lanka in men's T20 World Cup history after bashing five sixes and 10 boundaries. Rathnayake was 28 not out.

The Australians started the match impressively. Captain Mitch Marsh, making his first tournament appearance after a groin injury and Travis Head opened with 104 runs off 51 deliveries. Head was 56 off 29 with three sixes and seven boundaries when he was caught at long-off.

Cameron Green was stumped by Kusal Mendis on 3 and Marsh went in the next over, lbw to Dushan Hemantha, who took 3-37.

Fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana injured his calf after only four deliveries and hobbled off with help, and Sri Lanka Cricket said he will undergo a scan on Tuesday.

Australia was 151-4 after 15 overs but lost 30-6 in the last five, fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera claiming 3-36.

“One of the best performances in the recent past,” Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka said. “We were still positive after losing Pathirana. We had that confidence and knew about the wicket. Everyone wanted to contribute somehow: Chameera, Theekshana, Hemantha. Pathirana is a big miss.

England, defending 202, was threatened as No. 6 batter Grant Stewart hit 45 off 23.

But Sam Curran (3-22) and Jamie Overton (3-18) held their nerve in the last two overs and Italy succumbed for 178.

Ben Manenti smashed a swashbuckling 25-ball 60 with six sixes, reviving Italy from 22-3 with Justin Mosca. Then Manenti and Mosca fell within three overs of each other.

Bowling allrounder Stewart, who had only two runs from Italy's previous two matches, took up the challenge. He and Jaspreet Singh took 21 runs in the 18th over off Adil Rashid and England was sweating. But when Stewart skewed Curran to short third in the 19th over Italy was done.

England was also in deep trouble earlier at 105-5 in the 13th over with the Italians sharing the wickets around.

Will Jacks saved the two-time champion English when he thumped 53 not out off 22 balls including four sixes. His and England's relief was palpable afterwards.

"The most important thing is we've qualified but we need to be better, simple as that,” Jacks said.

Afghanistan still had only a slim chance of advancing from Group D after its first win at the expense of UAE. The victory secured South Africa a spot in the Super 8s and New Zealand had a chance to secure the other group spot if it beats Canada in Chennai on Tuesday.

UAE was restricted to 160-9 with Azmatullah Omarzai taking 4-15 in four overs.

Omarzai then hit 40 not out off 21 balls and opener Ibrahim Zadran cracked 53 off 41 for Afghanistan to reach 162-5 with four balls to spare.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Sri Lanka's Kusal Mendis plays a shot during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Sri Lanka and Australia in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/ Eranga Jayawardena)

Sri Lanka's Pathum Nissanka celebrates his century during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Sri Lanka and Australia in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/ Eranga Jayawardena)

Sri Lanka's Pathum Nissanka celebrates his century during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Sri Lanka and Australia in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/ Eranga Jayawardena)

Italy's Crishan Kalugamage, second from left, celebrates with teammates the wicket of England's Sam Curran during the T20 World Cup cricket match between England and Italy in Kolkata, India, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

Italy's Crishan Kalugamage, second from left, celebrates with teammates the wicket of England's Sam Curran during the T20 World Cup cricket match between England and Italy in Kolkata, India, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

England's Sam Curran celebrates the wicket of Italy's Grant Stewart during the T20 World Cup cricket match between England and Italy in Kolkata, India, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

England's Sam Curran, second from left, celebrates with teammates the wicket of Italy's Grant Stewart during the T20 World Cup cricket match between England and Italy in Kolkata, India, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

England's Sam Curran hits a six during the T20 World Cup cricket match between England and Italy in Kolkata, India, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

Afghanistan's captain Rashid Khan, centre, watches United Arab Emirates' Sohaib Khan after bowls a delivery during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Afghanistan and United Arab Emirates in New Delhi, India, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)