Katy Perry’s ‘Swish, Swish’ Video: A Guide to All the Memes and References

There’s definitely a lot going on in Katy Perry’s “Swish, Swish” video. Like more than most people can even detect. Even more than the numerous lyrical and musical references already contained in the song.

Sure, there’s an obvious basketball theme to the long-awaited video that seems to borrow plot elements from Space Jam and (less obviously) an old Trick Daddy and Trina video, but at its heart the video is really about internet memes. Yes, it’s a giant celebration of this year’s weird internet memes, from the Bag Raider’s “Shooting Stars” to proud Texan Christine Sydelko. More memes that one can really handle. So many memes that there’s not even really time for direct references to the song’s supposed inspiration: Perry’s silent feud with Taylor Swift.

Here’s a breakdown of all the many, many memes and references that we caught. Though, it’s very possible there’s even more that we didn’t.

Pyramids = Illuminati

One of the web’s undying meme is theorizing that certain celebrities are part of the illuminati, and thus constantly embedding the illuminati symbol of the pyramid into their work.

Nugget the Dog and Nugget Guy

Nugget (the dog) is Perry’s teacup poodle who recently starred in his own Citi Bank commercial. He’s sitting in the lap of Carter Wilkerson, a Nevada teen who recently asked the Wendy’s Twitter account how many retweets he needed to get free chicken nuggets for life. “18 million,” was the answer. He’s currently at 3.7 million.

Sports Broadcasting

“Swish Center” is an obvious reference to ESPN’s “Sports Center,” and that’s real life sports broadcasters Rich Eisner and Bill Walton (also a former NBA MVP in his day) calling the shots.

Her Teammates

You probably already know Gaten Matarazzo from Stranger Things, Ushkowitz from Glee and coach Molly Shannon from many, many pure and holy projects, but the Tigers are rounded out with a few web stars.

Christine Sydelko is a Vine star turned YouTube Vlogger turned Twitter sensation who always wears a “Don’t Mess with Texas” t-shirt and is basically this year’s answer to Joanne the Scammer.

Dexter Mayfield is a choreographer and dancer whose most viral moment was a particularly fierce runway walk for LA-based costume designer Marco Marco.

Then there’s Backpack Kid AKA Russell Got Barzz who the non-internet world was previously introduced to during Perry’s SNL performance earlier this year.

The Opponents

“The Tigers” feature Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘s Terry Crews, Game of Throne‘s Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (AKA The Mountain) and cast members from Netflix’s GLOW on cheerleading duty.

Bag Raider’s “Shooting Stars” Meme

In 2008, Australian EDM duo Bag Raider released a single “Shooting Stars.” Nine years later it’s re-emerged as a video meme that is hard to explain, so just watch this:

SNL’s Turtle Shirt Sketch.

Sure, that’s referenced too, in a throwaway moment.

The Gronk

That’s New England Patriot’s tight end Rob “The Gronk” Gronkowski, who, if you’re not aware, is sort of a human meme in and of himself. He was also the subject of an epic GQ shoot last year.

Crying Jordan

One time Michael Jordan cried in public and it became a whole thing that just will not die. Here, Katy Perry recreates it.

Space Jam

There’s numerous references in the video to Michael Jordan’s classic Looney Tunes flick Space Jam within. The most obvious and directed is Space Jam‘s Special Juice vs ‘Swish, Swish’s’ Kobe Sweat. Oh, there’s also an unrelated Popeye/spinach reference in here as well.

Doug the Pug

Doug, an Instagram famous dog, cameos for total meme inclusion.

Perry’s Own “Last Friday Night” Video

Trick Daddy ft. Trina and The Slip-N-Slide Express’s “Take It To Da House” Video

It’s very possible no one outside of Florida remember this 2001 bop, but the video also featured an underdog basketball team coming together to defeat a tougher foe, the featured female rapper providing half-time show entertainment and, a key scene involving a glass backboard breaking.

Related: Katy Perry’s “Swish, Swish”: A Breakdown of the Song’s Many References and Influences (and Taylor Swift Digs)

A 7-Year-Old Interviews Katy Perry: