What Is The 'Referee Catching Ball' Meme? The Basketball Ref And His 'You Alright Ladies?' TikTok Video Explained

A video has been circulating on TikTok of a basketball referee making a dramatic catch before the ball goes out of bounds. The viral video is known as the Ref Catches Basketball meme and it's gaining traction as a hilarious template.

It started circulating earlier this year as hoopers across the world related to the referee's apparent "rizz," because, c'mon, that catch of his was heroic. Him taking a pause and making that "you alright ladies?" expression has the internet in stitches.

But who is the referee in the video? Maybe unsurprisingly, he's already a rather well-known figure in his local community. Curious about the original video's origin and why people love it? Let's explain.

What's The Original 'Referee Catching Ball' Video?

The original video was posted to TikTok by a user named @farrish_gang in April of this year. In it, he's sitting courtside behind the ref who, when the ball is going out of bounds near him, catches it, pauses and looks directly into the camera.

In the original video, @farrish_gang narrated over the clip after the fact, saying, "May I help you?" among other statements that alluded to the ref being cringe for over-dramatizing the catch.

Who Is The Referee Catching The Basketball?

Funny enough, the ref catching the ball in the video is not just some random NPC. In actuality, he's a well-known referee in his local community who's gone viral before for his strange antics.

His name is Omar the Baltimore Ref and he's well-known in the Baltimore, Maryland area. According to various TikTok videos, Omar's been reffing high school and middle school games for quite some time. Everyone seems to know Omar, and for them, his "catching ball" shenanigan is just one of many.

Why Is The 'Referee Catching Ball' Video A Meme?

For starters, the video's a meme because the catch was hilariously over-the-top. He didn't need to pause like that, prompting many to write, "Who does bro think he is," among other catchphrases that portray him as silly.

The meme format that the trend is following is similar to slang overload, in that TikTokers are covering the original video with text, GIFs and stickers, likening Omar to the Nerd Emoji and using Don Pollo audios.

At the end of the day, though, the video speaks for itself. It's just an objectively funny mannerism, akin to the nerdiest of nerd archetypes, like that one kid in every high school gym class who would do the same thing during a dodgeball game.

For the full history of "Ref Catches Basketball," be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for even more information.