Jarrett Allen Explains Origin of 'Lights Were Brighter' Meme

Jarrett Allen closed his media day session Monday at Rocket Arena by explaining the line that became his meme. The Cleveland Cavaliers center said "the lights were brighter than expected" after New York knocked Cleveland out of the 2023 playoffs in a five-game first-round series.

Allen averaged 9.4 points and 7.4 rebounds in 38.2 minutes over five starts in that series, according to Bleacher Report.

The phrase came from the theater, in Allen's telling. He thought he was making a clever comparison between the playoff stage and actual stage lighting.

"I wanna say, it was a big stage, and then on the stage they had bright lights. So I thought I was being very clever in saying the lights were brighter than expected, like somebody in theater would say," Allen said. "But the whole world did not agree with that."

The line followed Allen into the 2025-26 opener at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 22, 2025, when he joked with assistant coaches before tip-off about the lights being brighter than expected, according to Sports Illustrated's Cavaliers site. He finished with 4 points and 4 rebounds in 28 minutes.

Before Game 1 of the conference finals against the Knicks in May, Allen said he had grown and evolved since the comment and had "a lot more playoff series under my belt," the New York Post reported.

New York swept the series. Allen had 6 points and 3 rebounds in 26 minutes in the Game 4 loss, and he averaged 13.1 points and 7.7 rebounds over 15 postseason appearances in the spring, according to RotoWire.

In between, Allen averaged 17 points and 13.8 rebounds on 68% shooting through the first four games of Cleveland's 2024 first-round series against Orlando, according to ESPN Stats & Information. A rib injury then kept him out of the rest of that series and all of the second round against Boston.

Allen had embraced the line by then. On "The Young Man and the Three" podcast in November 2024, he called it his one shining moment.

Evan Mobley has dealt with his own outside commentary. Allen, entering his 10th season, said Mobley knows what everybody expects from him and is able to keep much of the noise at a distance.

"I think it's going to suit him well. I don't think he listens to the — I don't want to call you guys noise. That's not fair to say about your job. But like, there's just not only you guys but then a lot of other just people saying that. I don't think he listens to it as much," Allen explained. "I know it's hard to stay away from it. I think he understands what's on his plate and what everybody expects from him."

"But he also understands that he needs to be, and he is, in the gym, so hard working," Allen continued. "He knows that whatever the outside is saying about him, that's what they're going to say. But he knows that the people inside the building trust his work and are going to trust him on the court for whatever he puts out."

Mobley was the 2024-25 Defensive Player of the Year but did not make the All-Star, All-NBA, or All-Defensive teams in 2025-26. He said Monday that missing out on those awards was part of his edge.

Allen's own approach to outside noise runs through the people around him. He said a strong personal circle can help keep a player's focus where it belongs.

"It is a challenge. You're never going to block out all the noise, but I feel like if you have a good circle around you that understands what you go through every day, that understands the weight of all the decisions that can be made about your everyday life, they know to not bring that up to you," Allen said. "They know the value of what goes on in your circle, and they're there to make sure that your mind is focused on you being the best you can."

Allen does not see himself as a leader by title, but he said he is comfortable speaking up in his 10th season.

"There's always room for me to improve. I never really look at myself as a leader. I never want to overstep somebody else's leadership role," Allen said. "… I don't mind speaking up. This is year 10 for me. At this point, if you don't believe what I said, my experience should be able to show. So I don't mind stepping into a role that I'm not more comfortable with."

He played parts of four seasons in Brooklyn before the 2021 trade to Cleveland. He was an All-Star in 2022.

Brooklyn picked him 22nd in 2017. His three-year, $91 million extension with the Cavaliers starts this season and runs through 2028-29. Cleveland's first practice in Spain is Wednesday.