Ben Simmons actually pursued Kendall, with the two meeting in the spring of 2018 and making an effort to connect whenever possible despite the point guard being based in Philadelphia.

Kendall streamed a 76ers game during a photo shoot with Australian Vogue in the spring of 2019, according to the subsequent cover story, and then FaceTimed the Melbourne native to showcase her copy of his recent GQ Australia cover.

“For me, a lot of things are very special and very sacred, like my friends and relationships, and I personally think that bringing things into the public makes everything so much messier,” the model told Australian Vogue. “Also I’m very young and right now I feel like relationships aren’t always super-certain.”

By the first Monday in May—i.e., the Met Gala—in 2019, they had amicably split up, with Kendall foreseeing that her packed schedule could pose too many complications.

As she told Australian Vogue, “Everyone has their own path and their own way of letting the cards fall. Your 20s are for messing up and figuring it out.”

Meanwhile, the Internet had sensed a pattern. A fan tweeted a meme in 2019, “Starting 5 of NBA Players Kendall Jenner Dated,” that featured photos of Jordan, Ben, Blake, then-Laker Kyle Kuzma, and journeyman D’Angelo Russell.

“This is a playoff team lmao,” the fan wrote.

Then it was Kendall with the dunk: She reposted, adding, “2 out of 5 accurate, thanks.”