Even though Harambe's death this year signaled the end of the gorilla, he has remained firmly imprinted in the psyche of many.
Earlier this year on May 28, Harambe, a male Western lowland gorilla, was shot and killed in the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. This particular incident took place after a 3-year-old boy managed to climb into the gorilla enclosure.
There was a lot of outrage arising from the killing of Harambe as he had only caught hold of the boy and not harmed him. However, animal behavior experts had stated that Harambe's killing was the right option as tranquilizing the gorilla would not have worked instantaneously and he could have harmed the boy in the 10-15 minutes it took to render him unconscious.
On Sept. 27, Bleacher Report made its own contribution to the memes and other videos that have sprung up in memory of Harambe. It uploaded a video created by video game modder MkElite that shows the gorilla as a player for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA 2K series.
First, a bit of a background. In July, Kevin Durant signed with the Golden State Warriors, and with him on board, the Cavs probably won't stand a chance at winning another championship against the Warriors.
"They need a recruit of their own. Preferably someone with size to combat Golden State's upgraded Death Lineup," said Bleacher Report. And so Harambe became the website's hypothetical solution.
The Cavs' answer to the Warriors signing Kevin Durant. #Harambe pic.twitter.com/6YdQg6umYi
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 27, 2016
The video quickly garnered a lot of attention, but while many NBA and NBA 2K fans found it funny - Gamezone even stated that this new creation could "take the cake" - others were not so amused, telling Bleacher Report to "delete this."
Since the gorilla's death in May, Harambe has been attached to several memes, many of which have not been very pleasant. One of the most recent memes was even reported to have a racially charged undertone and it was initially banned by a member of Clemson University. However, it was then subsequently allowed, which The Independent stated was part of "damage control."
A few days before Bleacher Report uploaded its Harambe NBA 2K simulation video, the CEO of Relativity Media Ryan Kavanaugh stated that he would make a film about the gorilla if he got a million retweets. This was subsequently labeled as an attempt at a joke built on the popularity of the deceased gorilla.
With Harambe being viewed as a martyr by many it is clear that the fallout from the death of the gorilla has not subsided. His inclusion in the NBA 2K game is one of the most popular "tributes" so far.
