As the video crossed platforms into Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, its provenance fragmented. Three persistent myths emerged, clouding the actual internet meme history.
The earliest myth claimed the phrase originated during an NBA game, allegedly shouted by an audience member at a referee wearing generic running shoes. Archive searches prove this chronology backwards; court-side fans were merely quoting Moore's clip after it went viral. A second misconception suggested the meme was a planned marketing stunt created by an independent sneaker boutique looking to spark footwear debates. Moore himself repeatedly debunked this theory in local radio appearances, explaining that the scene was entirely spontaneous.
The most pervasive myth credited the trend to a viral summer camp exchange involving NBA icon Michael Jordan. In August 2015, two months after Moore's initial upload, a bold teenager at the Michael Jordan Flight School basketball camp in Santa Barbara pointed at Jordan's feet and shouted the catchphrase. Jordan, wearing an unreleased pair of low-top Air Jordan XX9 sneakers, looked down in genuine confusion, asking the crowd, "What are those? These are XX9 Lows." While that video generated millions of views across sports blogs, it was an echo, not the genesis.
