The Adele NBA meme references the British singer's expressionless and avoidant jumbotron appearance at a 2022 NBA All-Star game. Her stone-cold stare and unwillingness to make eye contact with the camera turned into a moment for the haters, the disregarders, and those who are deeply unbothered.
Adele was spotted in the crowd at the 2022 NBA All-Star game, which she attended with boyfriend Rich Paul. The event—which was held at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse—featured the singer on-screen in the arena, and played her on the game's telecast.
The usually warm singer appeared to deliberately ignore the camera, whereas most celebrities will smile or wave.
While most viewers reacting to the video (which was shared on X, formerly Twitter by the NBA on TNT) had a good laugh at the singer's stony appearance, others questioned why she made the move. Some believed it was a genuine accident at first; this was later dispelled by the release of footage taken from another camera angle, which revealed how close to Adele the camera actually was.
Adele has some good barbs in her songs, but her public persona isn't immediately associated with being shady. However, the star would later admit she's aware she has a "very memeable" face.
When NBA on TNT shared the video, Adele's reaction immediately resonated with Twitter users. The replies were full of comments such as "mood," "vibe fr," and "me at all times."
Others focused on how funny it is for the singer to work so hard at ignoring a camera directly in her face. This turned into reaction memes about ignoring people, pretending not to recognize someone, and other uncomfortable scenarios. The earliest existing tweet comes from @franc_allkja on Feb. 22, 2022, who wrote, "Me with my parents white (not) watching the sex scene in the movie."
In February 2024, Adele surprised fans by bringing up the viral moment during a show that was part of her Weekends with Adele residency in Las Vegas.
Adele explained why she was avoiding the camera and what made her behave the way she did. The singer noted that just before that night out, she'd announced the end of her residency and had told the cameraman in the arena that she didn't want to be filmed. When they disrespected her wishes and filmed her anyway, she was "very annoyed and refused to play along or ham it up for the cameras.
"Do you remember that viral meme of me looking like I don’t give a flying f--k? I’d like to give some context to that meme. I know it sounds crazy, but I really don’t like being famous, right? So obviously, I know I’m sitting courtside at a basketball game, whatever.
But Rich [Paul] was working the room and, you know, talking to other players and people. I was fine. I didn’t mind. I was just there on my own, looking for Michael Jordan, to be honest with you. So, the people with the camera came over and asked me twice. They were like, ‘Do you mind if we film you? Can we put you on the screen?’ I said, ‘Please don’t. I just canceled [my] Las Vegas [residency]. I really don’t wanna be [on camera]. They came back and they filmed me."
What's worse, Adele had no idea her sour face was being broadcast on TV, and not just in the arena.
"The reason I looked like a different person was because I was sulking. Because I was like, ‘These motherf---ers have come back and are filming me against my will... I just wanted to give some context. Because I was ignoring looking everywhere but in the camera. I was just very annoyed because I asked not to be filmed. Also my face is very memeable. I can’t help it."
The explanation solved a puzzle many fans had considered since the clip first aired, vindicating Adele's decision to stone-face overeager cameramen.
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