New York Gov. Kathy Hochul responded to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott early Wednesday, using a months-old basketball meme to mock him after Abbott lost his reelection bid to Gina Hinojosa.
Hochul's press office shared a post on X that referenced an AI-generated image Abbott had previously posted. The image showed Abbott in a San Antonio Spurs jersey dunking on Hochul, who was depicted in a New York Knicks jersey, with a laughing Donald Trump courtside. Abbott had captioned the image: "Spurs about to dunk on Knicks like Texas has been dunking on New York. Go Spurs Go 🔥👽."
After his loss, Hochul's office responded, "Couldn’t have happened to a better guy. Good game."
The meme's underlying context also highlighted the Knicks' victory over the Spurs in the NBA Finals that year. Hochul further trolled Abbott by writing, "Aged like milk," which garnered significant attention on the platform.
Prior to the NBA Finals, Hochul had also used the meme to criticize Abbott. She posted, "BREAKING: Greg Abbott comes out for men and women competing on the same court," referencing Abbott’s legislative actions to restrict transgender children's participation in school sports.