Waived Toronto Tempo player has an incredible connection to Harambe

When the Toronto Tempo waived American guard Lexi Held on May 28, the move itself wasn't all that surprising.

Held had appeared in each of the expansion team's first eight games of the WNBA season, but was only averaging 1.1 points per game and wasn't seeing the floor much on a new team trying to find the right fit.

What made the news bizarre was the date it happened on: May 28, exactly 10 years since the death of the famous gorilla, Harambe.

At this point, you're probably wondering what a former Toronto Tempo player could possibly have to do with the internet's most viral silverback. As it turns out, the connection is wild.

For anyone who’s listened to our Harambe episode today………. what are the odds https://t.co/AJTziSHmsT

— Pablo Torre 👀 (@PabloTorre) May 28, 2026

On a recent episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast, host Pablo Torre had on Kentucky-based wildlife expert and photographer Jeff McCurry, who worked closely with Harambe during his time at the Cincinnati Zoo.

According to McCurry, on the day of Harambe's death (May 28, 2016), he had actually left the zoo early to take photos at a Kentucky girls' high school basketball game featuring a young Lexi Held.

While McCurry was away at the game, Harambe was shot and killed after a three-year-old entered the gorilla's encampment.

It wasn't until McCurry returned home that he learned about the incident.

He said on the podcast that kids visiting the zoo would frequently climb the barrier above Harambe's cage, and he would always have to intervene.

As Torre jokingly summarized on X: "There is a world in which Held does not play basketball, and Harambe could still be alive."

Jeff McCurry worked at the Cincinnati Zoo with the late famous gorilla back in 2016. (Pablo Torre Finds Out/YouTube)

The aftermath of Harambe's death became one of the internet's most viral moments of 2016. There was public outrage and debates around the zoo's safety and animal rights, plus a flood of memes and tribute posts that eventually evolved into merchandise honouring the late gorilla.

As for Held, the coincidence couldn't be crazier. Her stint with the Toronto Tempo was short after being their fifth overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Expansion Draft, but it will forever be remembered — like Harambe.