A jam-packed arena with over 42,000 fans was cheering their hearts out for Tee Higgins on June 19. However, the setting wasn’t his usual football ground. Instead, the venue was a baseball field. The Cincinnati Bengals WR did enough to put on an entertaining show and pleased his fans with a tribute to his new NFL teammate, and former Clemson University player, Dexter Lawrence.

The Cincinnati Reds’ home ground, Great American Ball Park, stood as the venue, hosting the Banana Ball Tour from June 19 to June 21. In a three-game weekend series, the Savannah Bananas faced the Indianapolis Clowns, where Tee Higgins entered the field as a pinch runner for the Bananas, a substitute player sent into the game specifically to run the bases for someone who just reached base safely.

When Higgins entered wearing the Bananas’ yellow jersey, the crowd at the Great American Ball Park erupted with unified chants of “Teeeeeee!”. And the Bengals WR didn’t disappoint. After scoring, the WR celebrated by breaking out his famous “Sexy Dexy” dance, a viral, hip-shaking celebration created by Lawrence. Higgins also showcased his signature NFL speed, completing his trip around the bases to cross home plate.

Banana Ball is a modified version of baseball designed to eliminate boring moments. The games have a strict two-hour time limit, where the pitchers cannot step off the rubber, batters cannot step out of the box, and if a fan catches a foul ball, the batter is out. Instead of counting total runs over nine innings, teams score a point by winning an individual inning.

Additionally, the exhibition nature of the tournament allows high-profile sports and entertainment stars to participate. Earlier this year, former NFL QB Russell Wilson, who recently announced his retirement from the league, also donned the Bananas jersey.

But what caught everyone’s attention last night was Tee’s hilarious tribute to the new Bengals teammate, Dexter Lawrence. For context, their friendship began at Clemson University, where they anchored a dominant 2018 Clemson team and also won the College Football Playoff National Championship. And now they have reunited once again in Cincinnati.

Earlier this year, in April, the Bengals traded away their 10th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to the New York Giants in exchange for Lawrence. And watching that move unfold, several Cincinnati players, including Higgins, appeared quite happy.

“Man, I’m happy though,” said Higgins to reporters earlier this month. “I played with Dexter at college, so he’s a good friend. And once that announcement came out, man, I was just happy and really excited.”

The happiness behind Higgins has a reason. The Bengals’ defensive unit wasn’t up to the mark last season. They allowed around 380.9 total yards and 28.9 points per game. On top of that, the 2025 Bengals struggled to generate a consistent pass rush, finishing tied for the seventh-fewest sacks (35).

However, Lawrence’s inclusion could fix some of these areas. For starters, the 28-year-old DT posted an 84.5 Pro Football Focus (PFF) pass-rush grade, which ranked 7th among 134 qualified interior defensive linemen. So, the expectations and belief around him to bolster their squad are quite high. But how it actually translates will be interesting to see.