If you’ve been near a basketball court, a locker room, or a high school hallway recently, you’ve probably witnessed The 6-7 Trend firsthand. The initial LaMelo Ball commentary video by Matsi Grindlot that sparked the sports world’s obsession reached 9.6 million views within just two months of its December 2024 upload, and what started as a niche basketball meme has since exploded into one of the most recognizable youth sports cultural moments in recent memory.
Key Takeaways
- What is The 6-7 Trend? It’s a viral phrase and hand gesture originating from drill rap and basketball culture, popularized through TikTok and sports video edits featuring players like LaMelo Ball.
- Where did it come from? The phrase traces back to rapper Skrilla’s song “Doot Doot (6 7)” and exploded after high school basketball recruit Taylen “TK” Kinney shouted it during a game.
- What is the hand gesture? Two upturned palms that rise and fall, similar to weighing scales. It’s simple, fun, and needs zero explanation to pull off.
- Who made it mainstream? In March 2025, a boy named Maverick Trevillian became the “67 Kid” after a viral clip at a basketball game launched the gesture into everyday culture.
- How far has it spread? On October 29, 2025, Dictionary.com officially named “6-7” its Word of the Year. It has since appeared in NBA highlights, WNBA press conferences, NFL celebrations, and even classrooms.
- Why do athletes love it? It’s inclusive, nonsensical, and requires no gatekeeping. It’s pure team bonding energy.
- How can you preserve these moments? Working with a sports team photographer who understands authentic celebration moments is the best way to document trends like this one for the long haul.
What Is The 6-7 Trend?
The 6-7 Trend is exactly what it sounds like: a quick, enthusiastic shout of “6-7!” paired with a playful up-and-down hand gesture that has taken over high school sports culture. It’s everywhere right now. Locker rooms, sidelines, victory photos, social media feeds.
The beauty of it? It means almost nothing. And that’s precisely the point. In a world where everything feels loaded with pressure and significance, “6-7” is a breath of fresh air. It’s just fun.
Where Did The 6-7 Trend Come From?
The phrase originates from the drill rap song “Doot Doot (6 7)” by American rapper Skrilla. That song started gaining traction on TikTok, but the real explosion came from the sports world, specifically from basketball.
Video edits featuring professional players, especially LaMelo Ball (who is listed at 6 ft 7 in height) started circulating, and the phrase latched onto basketball culture fast. Then came the moment that sent it mainstream: high school basketball star Taylen “TK” Kinney, a top-20 national recruit, went viral after a clip of him shouting “6-7!” during a game spread across TikTok.
By March 2025, Maverick Trevillian had become the “67 Kid” after a video showed him yelling the term at a game while doing the excited hand gesture. After that, there was no stopping it.
The Hand Gesture: Why Simple Wins Every Time
The gesture is two upturned palms rising and falling, like someone weighing something on a scale. Some people claim it signals “mid” or “average.” Most people agree the numbers don’t actually mean anything.
And honestly? That’s what makes it stick. No learning curve. No inside knowledge required. Anyone on the team, from the star player to the freshman who barely gets court time, can throw up the gesture and feel like part of the moment. That kind of inclusivity is rare, and athletes know it when they feel it.
Why Youth Sports Culture Made The 6-7 Trend Go Viral
Athletes are natural trend-setters. They’re already living in a world built around shared rituals: pre-game routines, team chants, post-win celebrations. The 6-7 Trend slots perfectly into that culture because it’s another shared language.
Youth sports teams operate on team chemistry. The silly moments matter just as much as the wins. A soccer team doing the “6-7” gesture after a goal, swimmers joking about it between sets, volleyball players using it to hype each other up before a big match — these are the moments that build the bonds that last.
Here’s what’s interesting, too. The trend didn’t start with adults handing it down to kids. It moved the other direction. Young athletes drove it. And that’s a big part of why it feels so authentic to the teams we photograph every season.
We photograph youth athletes across the Treasure Valley, and this trend has been everywhere on the sidelines. From Boise to Nampa to Eagle and beyond, if there’s a team warming up, there’s a “6-7” somewhere in the mix.
The 6-7 Trend in 2026: Where It Stands Now
By October 29, 2025, The 6-7 Trend had reached a level of cultural saturation that very few memes ever achieve. Dictionary.com officially named “6-7” its Word of the Year. That’s not a small thing.
The trend has appeared in NBA highlights, WNBA press conferences, and NFL touchdown celebrations. It’s shown up in classrooms (some schools have actually banned the gesture). It’s crossed into gaming, with Clash Royale adding a “67” emote after hitting 6.7 million Instagram followers. Even comedy and live entertainment got swept up in it.
In 2026, it’s still going strong. These things have a way of becoming permanent fixtures in youth sports culture, even after the peak of the viral moment passes. Twenty years from now, athletes who grew up doing the “6-7” gesture will see a photo from this era and instantly remember exactly how it felt.
That’s why capturing it on camera matters so much right now.
The 6-7 Trend and Sports Photography: Why These Moments Are Worth Documenting
I started Shooting Trio Photography because I was frustrated with the low-quality sports photos my own kids received from traditional school photographers. The posed, awkward, fluorescent-lit gym photos that looked nothing like the actual energy of the sport.
Real athletic photography captures real moments. And right now, real moments include The 6-7 Trend. When a team throws up that gesture after a big win, when the sideline erupts in “6-7!” after a buzzer-beater, that’s culture. That’s something worth preserving.
Our mission is simple: eliminate low-quality sports banners by providing magazine-quality images at prices teams and parents can afford. And part of that mission means showing up for the moments that actually define a team’s season, not just the posed lineup shots.
We photograph your athletes on actual football fields, basketball courts, and baseball diamonds — the same places where they play and compete. When the “6-7” moment happens, we’re already there.
Tips for Capturing The 6-7 Trend in Your Team Photos
If you’re a coach, parent, or athlete photographer looking to document this moment, here’s what actually works.
- Don’t set it up artificially. The gesture reads as authentic when it happens naturally. Let the team warm up, celebrate, or joke around before the formal session starts. You’ll get the real version.
- Shoot in their space. The gesture hits differently on an actual court or field than in a studio. Authentic backgrounds make authentic moments land harder.
- Get the reaction, not just the pose. The laughing, the energy, the split-second before the gesture fully forms — that’s the shot you actually want.
- Use burst mode. The gesture moves fast. Burst shooting gives you options to pick the exact frame where the energy peaks.
- Document the whole team doing it together. A composite or panoramic of the full squad throwing up “6-7” is going to be a wall-worthy photo for years to come.
We know the importance of practice time for coaches, so when we show up for a session, we keep things moving. The day of the photo shoot, I’ll need about 45 minutes to set up and I’ll spend about 1–2 minutes with each player. That’s enough time to get the formal portraits and still leave room for the candid stuff, including whatever “6-7” moments the team brings naturally.
Why Youth Sports Photography Needs to Keep Up with Culture
Here’s the honest truth: traditional sports photography is behind. The staged gym portraits, the awkward forced smiles, the backdrops that look nothing like the actual sport. That’s not what these athletes want representing their season.
Modern youth athletes live inside culture. The 6-7 Trend is proof of that. They’re creating viral moments, they’re shaping what “cool” looks like in sports, and they deserve photography that actually reflects who they are right now.
When you work with Shooting Trio, you’re working with someone who understands the importance of these moments. Not just the wins and the trophies, but the gestures, the inside jokes, the things that make this specific team in this specific season unlike any other team that came before them.
Best of all, there are no session fees. Our photography is completely funded by family orders, making it easy for coaches and athletic directors to provide this service to their athletes. You bring the team. We bring the magazine-quality results.
If you’re in the Treasure Valley, check out our individual sports portraits and senior banner photography options. And if you want to see what we’ve done for teams like yours, our sports team photography page shows the kind of authentic, high-energy work we deliver every session.
The 6-7 Trend Is a Reminder: Don’t Miss the Season
Seasons move fast. Track season moves fast. Basketball season moves fast. And trends like The 6-7 Trend don’t wait around. In a year, the gesture might be something else entirely. But the photo of your team doing it, together, in their jerseys, on their court? That one lasts.
Give your team something that’ll get them hyped before every game. Something they’ll look back on in ten years and immediately remember exactly how it felt to be part of this group, this season, this moment in time.
That’s what Shooting Trio Photography is built to do. Reach out through our contact page and let’s talk about booking your session before the season gets away from you.
Conclusion
The 6-7 Trend is more than a meme. It’s a snapshot of exactly what youth sports culture looks like right now in 2026. It’s proof that the moments worth remembering aren’t always the trophies or the championships. Sometimes it’s the absurd, joyful, meaningless gesture that the whole team does together for no reason other than it’s fun.
Photography that captures The 6-7 Trend is photography that captures truth. And that’s the only kind of sports photography worth doing. Whether you’re a coach in Meridian, a parent in Nampa, or an athletic director in Boise, we’re here to make sure these moments don’t disappear. Reach out today and let’s lock in your session.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is The 6-7 Trend and where did it start?
The 6-7 Trend is a viral phrase and hand gesture that originated from drill rapper Skrilla’s song “Doot Doot (6 7)” and exploded through TikTok sports edits featuring NBA player LaMelo Ball. High school basketball recruit Taylen “TK” Kinney and a young fan named Maverick Trevillian helped push it fully mainstream in early 2025.
What does the 6-7 hand gesture actually mean?
The hand gesture involves two upturned palms that rise and fall, resembling a weighing scale motion. Most people who use it agree that The 6-7 Trend gesture doesn’t carry a fixed meaning, and that’s intentional. The whole point is that it’s fun, inclusive, and requires no explanation.
Is The 6-7 Trend still popular in 2026?
Yes. The 6-7 Trend remains active in 2026, particularly in youth sports culture. After being named Dictionary.com’s Word of the Year in October 2025, it has maintained a presence in professional sports, gaming, entertainment, and high school athletic culture across the country.
Why are athletes so obsessed with The 6-7 Trend?
Athletes are drawn to The 6-7 Trend because it offers a low-pressure, inclusive way to bond with teammates. It requires no special knowledge or skill, which means every player can participate equally, making it a natural fit for team culture and locker room energy.
How can I get a photo of my team doing the 6-7 gesture?
The best approach is working with a photographer who shoots on-location, in your team’s actual space, rather than a staged studio setting. Authentic environments produce authentic moments, and The 6-7 Trend lands best when it happens naturally during warm-ups or post-game celebrations.
Has The 6-7 Trend shown up outside of sports?
Absolutely. The 6-7 Trend has crossed into NBA, WNBA, and NFL culture, appeared in classrooms and comedy shows, and even influenced gaming (Clash Royale added a “67” emote). A transition reel featuring a “67” shout at a stand-up show earned 2.6 million views in just three weeks.
How do I capture The 6-7 Trend in action shots during a real game or practice?
Use burst mode to keep up with the speed of the gesture, shoot in your athletes’ natural environment rather than a studio, and focus on capturing the reaction and energy around the gesture, not just the gesture itself. Hiring a photographer experienced in youth sports will give you the best results for documenting moments like this one authentically.
Book Your Team’s Session Before the Season Ends
We photograph youth athletes across the Treasure Valley with no session fees. You bring the team. We bring the magazine-quality results — and we’ll be there for whatever “6-7” moments happen along the way.