About
Zesty Karl-Anthony Cities, also referred to as Zesty KAT, refers to a sequence of memes and jokes about skilled basketball participant Karl-Anthony Cities (KAT) of the New York Knicks having a supposed flamboyant or queer-coded voice and actions perceived as “zesty” by some on-line. The Zesty Karl-Anthony Cities memes began in late 2021. The posts picked up once more in April 2024 on TikTok, after just a few compilation movies titled “Karl-Anthony Zesty Moments” had been posted on the platform, sparking feedback in regards to the participant’s voice and mannerisms. In Could 2025, an image of KAT and NBA participant Jayson Tatum in the course of the Celtics vs. Knicks 2025 Playoffs sequence grew to become a viral matter on-line on Reddit, Twitter / X and Fb, spawning extra jokes about Cities’ “zesty” pose within the photograph.
Origin
On December twenty eighth, 2021, X consumer @blame_two reposted a clip from a then-recent Karl-Anthony Cities podcast when he was on the Minnesota Timberwolves, captioning it, “This his talking voice? Please reply.” The put up gained over 3,200 likes in 4 years (proven beneath).
Within the replies, varied X customers used the slang phrases “zest” and “zesty” to explain Cities’ voice. The tweet is presently the earliest identified viral put up relating KAT to the time period “zesty.”
This his talking voice? Please reply pic.twitter.com/vHSdIjGytd
— Agave Blame (@blame_two) December 28, 2021
Unfold
Within the following years, extra clips of NBA participant Karl-Anthony Cities talking and performing that had been perceived as “zesty” surfaced on-line.
As an example, on Could twenty third, 2023, a clip of Cities on the podcast of Los Angeles Clippers participant Paul George was shared on X by the account @TheDunkCentral. Within the clip, Cities says, “For positive.” Many X customers within the feedback made quips about Cities’ supposed “zesty” voice.
Just a few months later, on July seventh, X consumer @Zazamyodor quote-tweeted a brand new put up with the “For positive” clip, captioning it, “That ‘for positive’ was nasty work.” Over three years, the quote gained over 46,000 likes (proven beneath).
that “for positive” was nasty work https://t.co/iqd9XUkg5E
— Zaza Man (@Zazamyodor) July 3, 2023
On February twenty seventh, 2024, TikTok consumer @thaflyestever posted a compilation of Karl-Anthony Cities supposedly performing “zesty,” together with clips from interviews and NBA video games, amassing roughly 80,000 likes and eight,600 shares in a yr (seen beneath).
@thaflyestever In spite of everything that 😫 #karlanthonytowns #kat #sexyyred #zesty #afterallthat #katvoice #karltowns #minnesotatimberwolves #NBA #nbaedits #mixtape ♬ Bow Bow Bow (F My Child Dad) – Sexyy Purple
Clips and memes of “Zesty KAT” gained traction on TikTok and Reddit amongst NBA followers over the course of 2024 into 2025, primarily mocking the basketball participant’s mannerisms and voice, implying that he’s homosexual.
As an example, on Could ninth, 2025, TikTok consumer @locoprezident43 posted a video of Cities including the Nail Polish Emoji alongside quotes of the athlete (an emblem generally used to point that one thing is homosexual). The video (seen beneath) gained over 10 million performs and 1.3 million likes in three weeks.
@locoprezident43 Essentially the most HILARIOUS participant within the NBA 🤣💅 #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #nba ♬ My Bubble Gum – Rasheeda
On Could sixth, 2025, Redditor u/BodybuilderBulky2897 uploaded an image of KAT and fellow basketball participant Jayson Tatum’s confrontation in the course of the Celtics vs. Knicks recreation to the /r/Nbamemes subreddit, amassing greater than 1,800 upvotes and 230 feedback in three weeks (seen beneath). Many replies within the thread mentioned the notion of KAT as flamboyant or zesty, additionally commenting on the meme potential of the photograph.
Numerous Examples
@bigjeditzzz 💅 #karlanthonytowns #minnesota #timberwolves #NBA #edit #mixtape #viral #blowup #kesha #tiktok #foryou ♬ TiK ToK – Kesha
@sozo_thestreamer AFTER ALL THAT ! 💅 #fyp #timberwolves #anthonyedwards #karlanthonytowns #playoffs #nba ♬ unique sound – Aura
