The sporting world has seen several unique celebrations by athletes. Certain celebrations have gone synonymous with athletes. If someone sees Siuuu, the only name that comes to mind is Cristiano Ronaldo. Similarly, if it’s Samba-style dancing moves, the first name that strikes is Neymar Jr.

The fans love the moves of the PSG superstar after scoring goals. And he always comes up with some variations every time. Meanwhile, his current celebration after hitting a three-pointer in a friendly basketball game has raised the eyebrows of many. So, how did the Brazilian celebrate, and what’s the backstory? 

Neymar Jr. hits famous three-point NBA celebration

David Brazil, the famous event promoter and actor, recently added a video clip to his Instagram story. It shows Neymar enjoying basketball with his friends.

The PSG superstar recently went public to apologize to his girlfriend, Bruna Biancardi, over infidelity. The couple recently enjoyed their soon-to-be-born child’s gender revelation ceremony, and now the Brazilian soccer star is having fun.

The clip shows Neymar casually hitting a three-pointer and making a famous three-finger celebration, made famous by LeBron James’ former teammate Carmelo Anthony. There’s a debate over whether Carmelo used it first, but the three fingers to dome go synonymous with him currently. Meanwhile, making a ring with the thumb and index finger and raising the other three fingers is the most used celebration by NBA athletes after scoring a three-pointer.

It’s used in many other ways, like raising three fingers in the air or putting a ring on the eyes to show a goggle. However, this celebration by Neymar might haven’t gone well in his native country. It indicates OK in the US. But, when we go to Latin American countries like Brazil, the meaning of the gestures completely changes. The three-finger sign indicates a derogatory remark in Neymar’s home country. And NBA once banned the players to use it in Brazil.  

NBA once urged players to refrain from three-finger celebration

In 2014, as part of its global initiative, NBA teams Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat visited Rio de Janeiro. In anticipation of the widely used three-pointer celebration, NBA sent a memo with a list of questionable gestures to be avoided in Brazil. And the three-finger to the dome or three-finger goggles were a few of them.

READ MORE: How Neymar Jr. Got It Wrong: Soccer Star Predicted a Son With Girlfriend Bruna Biancardi, but Got a Daughter Instead

In the aftermath, then Cavalier’s three-point marksman, James Jones, said he wasn’t made aware of the memo. Moreover, he didn’t know the gesture was an insult to the Brazilians. Thankfully, Jones used to salute after hitting a three-pointer, or else it would have been another story had he hit three-finger celebrations.

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That’s why one should know about the body gestures of the country they are traveling to. Wasn’t Neymar aware of it?