‘Where’s Dook?’ How a sign made former UNC player Makhtar Ndiaye internet famous.
North Carolina fans engaged on social media have come to know the photo well, expect it even, during situations like this postseason.
Vince Carter, Julius Peppers and Antawn Jamison all sharing a laugh as Makhtar Ndiaye raised a cardboard cutout with the two words that raises smiles, elicits laughter and is giddily celebrated among UNC fans:
“Where’s Dook.”
Usually, it happens when Duke doesn’t advance farther than the Tar Heels. It came a little earlier this season after the Blue Devils had their string of 24 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances end.
“Every time this time of the year, it’s just boom, it always pops out,” Ndiaye told The News & Observer. “Always. Whether Carolina plays or not.”
The moment was captured by photographer Zeke Smith for CarolinaBlue.com before the Heels won the 2009 national championship over Michigan State at Detroit’s Ford Field. And it has a new life that is not predicated just on Carolina’s successes as much as it is Duke’s losses.
It’s on standby for unleashing after moments like the Blue Devils’ 2014 loss to Mercer in the first round or in 2017 when both UNC and Duke played their NCAA tournament second-round games in Greenville, S.C. The Blue Devils lost to South Carolina while the Heels beat Arkansas on the same day.
Ndiaye, who played at UNC from 1996-98, said he hoped the photo isn’t taken the wrong way. It’s meant to be lighthearted and he says he’s shared laughs with former Duke standout Elton Brand over it.
“If it’s just to make the Carolina fans happy, I’m glad I did that,” Ndiaye said. “It was not something intended at the Duke guys, I’ve got much respect for their program. There are no hard feelings, I mean we battled when we did and you know that’s still the greatest college rivalry ever.”
Ndiaye said he has a different photo of the group with the sign blown up in his office and he believed Jamison had a copy in his home as well.
Internet fame followed
Ndiaye did not make the sign himself. He said a girl who looked to be in elementary school saw them approaching their seats and handed the sign to Carter. Ndiaye could not see what the sign said, only that it made the others laugh.
When he asked the girl if he could hold the sign, Ndiaye said Peppers dared him to raise it in the air for everyone to see.
“Everybody was focused on the team running (onto the court) and for some reason, one photographer turned around and saw it and took a picture,” Ndiaye said. “Then everybody turned around. You should have seen all the flashes.”
For the current generation of Carolina students, they weren’t yet born to witness Ndiaye play on the 1997 and 1998 Final Four teams for UNC. And he knows he’s the least famous of the group that he said included Rasheed Wallace sitting to the left of Jamison, but outside of the picture.
But Ndiaye got something the others didn’t. Internet famous.
“I went to a Carolina game a few years ago and some student was trying to redo it,” Ndiaye said. “They had their card, ‘Where’s Dook’ and as I’m walking down the stairs, I guess some of them recognized me. They just started screaming, ‘Where’s Duke?’ I was like, oh, shoot.”
Ndiaye said he’s kind of glad it happened back before going viral was really a thing. Twitter and Facebook were still fledgling companies forming their policies. Instagram wouldn’t be started for another year.
But he does regret that he couldn’t thank the little girl whose sign led to his internet immortality.
“I wish I could like find her again so I can say thank you,” Ndiaye said. “Thank you for making me famous. She did what basketball could not do for me.”
NCAA championship: North Carolina vs. Kansas
When: 9:20 p.m., Monday
Watch: TBS
This story was originally published March 19, 2021 at 1:22 PM.