Cream Abdul Jabbar — Side-by-side comparison of Kareem Abdul Jabbar in Lakers uniform and Robbie Avila in Indiana State uniform, both wearing goggles.

Cream Abdul Jabbar

2024Nickname / sports memesemi-active

Published April 7, 2026

Also known as: College Jokic · Larry Nerd · Steph Blurry

Cream Abdul Jabbar is a nickname for Indiana State University basketball player Robbie Avila that went viral on Twitter/X in late February 2024. The name plays on Avila's white skin ("cream") and his goggle-wearing resemblance to NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who also played center. After a 35-point performance against Evansville, a highlight video with the caption "Cream Abdul Jabbar" racked up over 17 million views and turned the mid-major college player into a social media star overnight.

basketball memes accidental fame memes celebrity nickname memes pun memes

Overview

Cream Abdul Jabbar refers to Robbie Avila, a 6-foot-10, 255-pound center for the Indiana State Sycamores who plays in protective eyewear that looks strikingly similar to the goggles Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wore during his Hall of Fame NBA career3. The nickname works on multiple levels: both players are centers, both wear goggles, and the word "cream" is a cheeky nod to Avila being white4. Beyond the visual joke, the name stuck because Avila's game actually backs it up. He's a skilled big man with old-school post moves, a reliable three-point shot, and passing ability that draws comparisons to two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic2.

Loading tweet...

Origin & Background

Platform
Twitter / X
Creator
Matt Jones
Date
2024

On February 28, 2024, Avila dropped a career-high 35 points along with eight rebounds and five assists in Indiana State's 85-67 blowout of Evansville1. The next day, February 29th, Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio posted a highlight reel to his @KySportsRadio Twitter account with the caption: "Cream Abdul Jabbar killing it last night with 35 points"5. That single tweet blew up, pulling in over 1,900 retweets and 19,000 likes within four hours4. The highlight video itself reached more than 17 million views5.

How It Spread

The nickname spread fast because people genuinely loved it. Later on February 29th, Twitter user @MisterPendley called it a "god-tier nickname," picking up over 40 retweets and 240 likes in about an hour4. Another user, @MissSassbox, described it as "easily the most upsetting, shamefully hilarious thing I will laugh at for the remainder of the week"4.

Sports media jumped on the story within days. Complex ran a feature titled "Internet Dubs College Player 'Cream Abdul-Jabbar' After He Dropped 35 Points for Indiana State," noting the Jokic comparisons and Avila's self-deprecating humor about his own athleticism3. The Sporting News published a deep profile headlined "Who is Robbie Avila?" that explored his backstory, training habits, and Mexican heritage2. Deadspin ran a piece connecting Avila's breakout to Indiana State's broader return to basketball relevance for the first time since Larry Bird's era6.

By the following Monday, Avila appeared on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, where he discussed the goggles, revealed he'd been bullied for wearing them as a kid, and got pulled into a debate about Culver's versus Portillo's5. The interview also surfaced his other new nicknames: "Larry Nerd" and "Steph Blurry," both riffs on the same goggle-wearing, deceptively skilled white guy template5.

▶

Internet Dubs College Player ‘Cream Abdul-Jabbar’ After He Dropped 35 Points for Indiana State

X

How to Use This Meme

The Cream Abdul Jabbar nickname gets deployed in a few ways:

- As a caption on highlight clips of Avila making skilled plays that defy his unathletic appearance. The humor comes from the contrast between what he looks like and what he does on the court. - As a reaction to any situation where someone unexpected dominates. You might see "giving Cream Abdul Jabbar energy" applied to anyone who looks out of place but performs at a high level. - Sports fans commonly pair it with other joke nicknames (Larry Nerd, Steph Blurry, College Jokic) when discussing deceptively talented white basketball players.

The format is simple: take a clip or photo of Avila doing something impressive, slap the nickname on it, and let the absurdity of the name do the heavy lifting.

Cultural Impact

Avila's viral moment landed at the perfect time for men's college basketball. As Deadspin noted, the 2024 men's game was "severely lacking in star power" compared to the women's side, where Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese dominated headlines6. Cream Abdul Jabbar gave the sport a fun, shareable story right before March Madness.

The nickname also brought fresh attention to Indiana State's program, which hadn't been nationally relevant since Larry Bird led the team to the 1979 national championship game6. Avila's coach Josh Schertz called him "remarkably smart" and praised his basketball IQ, while Avila himself acknowledged he'd studied tape of Jokic and Domantas Sabonis extensively2.

Avila expressed interest in potentially representing Team Mexico through his father's heritage, adding another layer to his growing public profile2. He kept a grounded perspective on the attention, calling it "outside noise" while staying focused on his NBA aspirations2.

Fun Facts

Avila once considered switching from goggles to contacts but stuck with the eyewear that would later define his brand5.

His coach regularly jokes that Avila is "one step slower than everybody on the court." Avila's comeback: "I tell him I'm two steps slower, because they expect me to be one step slower, so I go a little slower than that"3.

Indiana State players are expected to watch Larry Bird film. As Avila put it: "They always say when you come here, strive to second. You'll never catch up to Larry Bird at Indiana State"2.

He shot 43.2% from three-point range and 56.2% from the field during his sophomore season, numbers that back up the Jokic comparisons2.

Avila credits his dad and brother for teaching him to pass, a skill unusual for a player his size2.

Frequently Asked Questions