Undoubtedly, the most enduring image of July's NZ NBL Showdown was a grinning Derone Rauwkawa - hands raised in mock surrender - as Auckland Huskies forward Leon Henry's enormous hands wrung his neck in a real-life interpretation of Homer v Bart.
Somehow, the meme potential has gone unfulfilled, but at the very least, it encapsulates Raukawa as a basketballer - a smiling assassin who lives under his opponent's skin. The kind of guy who'd rip your heart out on the court, then take your nanna for a cup of tea and a biscuit.
"A little bit of basketball chat," Raukawa recalls of the scuffle that left Henry with a two-game suspension
"Just a couple of words were said, a bit of a disagreement and then that came out of it.
"As you see by the photos, I just smiled it off and I was ready to keep playing ball. It was actually a good little boost."
The 26-year-old spark-plug point guard has never been one to shy away from trash talk. In fact, he thrives on it and usually, Raukawa will be the one lighting the fire.
In short, if Raukawa is cooking, expect him to let everyone in the kitchen know about it.
"Oh yes," he says. "Let the guy guarding me know, let the bench know, let the coach know...
"I like to bark and I bark a lot, but when people bark back, it's good, I like to have a little bit of back-and-forth - I enjoy that, I welcome that."
This past season, he had plenty of reasons to talk. With his lightning first step as his cornerstone, Raukawa torched all comers, showcasing elite triple-threat offence and forming a near-unstoppable combination with US-born forward Marcel Jones to lead Taranaki Mountainairs to a semi-final berth in the revised tournament.
Statistically, Raukawa rose to a whole new level. While his numbers over the past few seasons have demonstrated significant yearly improvement, 2020 hit differently.
His scoring average of 23.7 points per game - up almost an entire seven points from the previous season - was enough to lead the NBL, while assists skyrocketed from 2.8 ast year to 7.4, also leading the league.
Shooting-wise, Raukawa came agonisingly close to becoming a member of the hallowed '50/40/90' club, finishing with a field-goal percentage of 49 percent, to go with 39 percent from three-point range and 90 percent at the free-throw line.
The Commonwealth Games bronze-medallist puts his staggering growth down to an oncourt maturation.
"The game comes slower to me now," he says. "I remember vividly, when I first joined the Tall Blacks, how frantic and fast-paced I was acting and thinking.
"Now it's calmed down and I see the floor a lot better. When I was younger, I was just score,score,score, but now I'm everyone, everyone, everyone.
"I can see what's happening around me."
Such dominance came as no surprise to the uber-confident Raukawa, whose relentless work ethic has paved the way for his success. So too did his partner in crime Jones, with whom he operated a devastating inside-outside assault throughout the tournament.
"I felt like I was the best point guard in that competition," he says. "I could show off that side of my skills and really take advantage of them.
"Having Marcel was good, because me and him as a one-two punch really helped my game. He would find me and I would find him, which meant my assists came easy.
"Having this kind of season wasn't a shock to me. At the end of it, I thought, 'yeah, that's what I was going in there to do and I got it done'."
Raukawa's efforts made him an undisputed choice for the NBL's All Star Five, finishing - somewhat controversially - just third in Most Valuable Player voting, behind winner Tom Vodanovich and Jordan Ngatai.
Does he believe he deserved to be crowned as the league's best?
"Definitely," Raukawa replies. "That's all I have to say on that."
And yet, in spite of his dizzying improvement, Raukawa is currently - bafflingly - a free agent.
He has had conversations with the likes of Cairns Taipans and Brisbane Bullets in the Australian NBL. The NZ Breakers - where Raukawa spent two seasons from 2016-18 - still have one vacancy open, but given their backcourt stocks, he isn't holding his breath.
A European jaunt is still a possibility, but with ANBL rosters rapidly filling out, time is fast running out to secure a spot.
Fresh off a career season, Raukawa admits it's a disappointing scenario, but he remains undeterred, keeping his skills sharp and prepared for action by getting shots up with former teammate and Junior Tall Black Dylan Perfect-Tait, now a head coach at a local Taupo high school.
He's also focused on adding bulk to his frame to help better absorb contact during his frequent forays to the rim.
"I thought I put my best foot forward on heaps of things, but then again, if it's not meant to happen, it's not meant to happen," he admits.
"The main thing is I'm staying here at the gym. Got me a little part-time job, so I have enough time to keep going to the gym, and keep working out and staying in game shape, so when my name is called, I'm ready.
"Easier to stay ready than get ready."
Hardened by driveway battles against his dad - who was an NBL champion with the Pero Cameron-led Waikato Titans - basketball runs through Raukawa's blood, and you can bank on his combination of relentless positivity and dogged work ethic to take another step up the basketball ladder soon.
Given his steep upward trajectory over the past few years - not to mention the Tasmania Jack Jumpers ANBL expansion team opening up 13 new roster spots from 2021/22 - it seems a mere inevitability.
"If I find something there, awesome, but if nothing comes up, I'll keep working, stay in shape, and try to make another wave in NBL next season."
In the meantime, you can find him building his following as a Call of Duty ace, where his sniping skills are almost as sharp off the court.
"If anyone out there is an avid gamer and wants some COD clips, go follow that page!" he laughs.
Raukawa will also be in action for Hawke's Bay at the NZ NBL's 3 x 3 Cup, which takes place in Invercargill from November 12 to 14.
