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“I'm Trying Jennifer.” Who knew those three little words would prove prophetic internet gold when CJ McCollum uttered them to a Warriors fan talking some trash to him on Twitter in 2018?
McCollum had just gone online to vent about players ring chasing in the NBA by joining Golden State. This offended diehard Warriors fan Jennifer Williams, who just saw her Warriors win back-to-back championships thanks to their signing of superstar Kevin Durant to an already-loaded Warriors team.
Williams fired back from her Twitter handle, @ChocDelight1980, to McCollum's “ring chasing” comment with the comeback, “Win a playoff game then talk.” To which McCollum infamously replied, “I'm trying Jennifer,” and a legend was born!
Im trying Jennifer
— CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) August 15, 2018
The phrase quickly became one of the most meme'd NBA moments of all time. The whole exchange just struck a chord. Something about the sincerity and passion of everyone involved.
McCollum raised a fair critique, Williams defended her team while reminding McCollum of his own fallibility, and McCollum responded with brutal honesty that somehow revealed the pain she had caused and the emotional investment he puts into his craft. Both Jennifer and CJ showed a deep love for the game through their brief exchange.
From there, “I'm trying Jennifer” became a catchall to rebut any sensitive criticism online. There just didn't seem to be an online disagreement where it didn't perfectly fit.
And unlike a lot of the online vitriol spewed on the internet, that just makes all parties involved feel bad about themselves, this exchange actually has a happy ending — CJ McCollum took the criticism to heart, and he did go on to win in the playoffs, for both the Trail Blazers and the Pelicans. And Jennifer Williams became a viral sensation, copyrighting I'm Trying Jennifer and turning it into her online persona, complete with her own apparel line.
CJ went on in later years to tell reporters that he “appreciate[d]” Jennifer, even calling her a “legend.”
The best moment of the “I'm Trying Jennifer” saga came about in 2019 though, when the Warriors and Trail Blazers met in the playoffs and CJ and Jennifer actually got to meet in person!
Before Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals kicked off that year at Oracle Arena, Rachel Nichols arranged for Jennifer and CJ to meet at center court, and the two were all smiles and compliments toward one another!
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.@CJMcCollum finally meets Jennifer! 😂 pic.twitter.com/TxWnLq0iwC
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) May 16, 2019
It was a rare feel-good moment that hailed from the internet, starting as online beef, and ending as a moment of mutual appreciation in real life!
Because of the positive vibes it puts out, the “I'm Trying Jennifer” meme just refuses to disappear, even six years later.
This past summer at the Olympic games, when Kevin Durant got posterized by Ant during Team USA's basketball practice and the throwdown got photographed, sure he could have just brushed it off and ignored the exposure. It was just an innocent moment with a teammate in a friendly practice.
But KD couldn't resist chiming in with “I tried Jennifer” because… who doesn't want to feel all warm and fuzzy inside when they get a little online shade thrown their way?
I tried Jennifer https://t.co/iRhCMSt2Hp
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) July 25, 2024
So the next time you get lightly teased on the internet, rather than turning the intensity up and escalating the whole situation, try turning that frown upside down by owning your weaknesses and responding with a light-hearted acknowledgement that nobody's perfect, and you're just trying your best.
For giving us such a lovely teachable moment still used today, Jennifer Williams and CJ McCollum provided an enduring legacy of an internet meme that is just part of the lexicon now. Hopefully you agree, and if not, well, what can I say other than, “I'm trying Jennifer.”
