Damian “Dame Dolla” Lillard & The NBA’s Best Rappers

It’s NBA Saturday night and Damian “Dame Dolla” Lillard will be performing on stage and this time I don’t mean the basketball court. Dame has had a passion for rap since his college days and coming into the NBA nothing has changed. The NBA & social media has given Lillard an even greater platform to display his musical talent. Dame used his social media to push a music movement named “4 Bar Friday” where Lillard pushed artists to send their best 4 bars and he would crown a winner every week. This movement allowed Dame to not only be seen as a ball player but gave him the chance to be seen as a music artist as well. Dame has put out 3 mixtapes with some great features that include Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, BJ The Chicago Kid and Jeremih. Check out some of Dame’s work down below as well as some of the NBA’s greatest rappers.

Another current player in the rap game is Iman Shumpert. Shump has played on his share of teams but most recently won a championship ring with LeBron James and the Cavs in 2016. Being drafted by the New York Knicks gave Iman an easy jump into the rap game as New York has great hip hop history and radio stations. Check out Shump spitting a freestyle on Funk Flex.

The first NBA player in the game was Shaquille O’neal and he didn’t disappoint. His career expanded when he joined the Los Angeles Lakers because Hollywood gave him the green light on just about anything. That anything included acting and rapping as Shaq put out movies in “Kazam” & “Blue Chips”. Scroll below to see one of Shaq’s music videos from the late 90’s.

Now you can’t have Shaq without Kobe, am I right? Yes I said Kobe… just like Shaq Hollywood allowed Kobe to put out a couple rap songs. A couple fun facts regarding Kobe’s music career: 1) Kobe was featured on a Brian McKnight song and 2) Kobe met his wife Vanessa on his music video shoot.

Allen Iverson really bridged the gap between the NBA & Hip Hop as not only his playing style was street but his wardrobe was as well. He’s one of the main reasons for the NBA dress code but he’s also one of the main reason the NBA & America’s culture changed in the 2000’s. Sports & music have the greatest impact on any culture and A.I. left his mark on both.

Metta World Peace, Ron Artest, Panda Friend whatever you want to call him the guys is a character! Metta coming from the Queensbridge New York projects he grew up in the mecca of Hip Hop. Just like all the players before him basketball has given him an opportunity to pursue music. After winning the championship with the Lakers, Artest dropped his song Champions.

The NBA & Hip Hop have always had a tight bond but that bond is only getting stronger with the help of Damian Lillard. Check out Dame Dolla’s music on all streaming platforms and make sure to watch him ball out all season long!

Touring LA: The Kobe Murals

As Los Angeles mourns the recent loss of Kobe Bryant, the city has gained some amazing Kobe inspired murals. Artists around the city have brought the mamba mentality to their creativity with their respected visions of Kobe & Gianna Bryant. One thing that Bryant’s death has given us, is a sense of community. We always knew how strong Lakers nation was but it’s amazing to see LA come together like this. In a generation where social media is king, going to these murals and talking with fans alike has made LA feel closer than ever before.

The following will be a guide to most of the Mamba pieces around LA, so you can experience the greatness for yourself. Luckily most of them are within a 5 mile radius so you can hit them all in a day like I did!

Kobe Signature & Gigi- VEM Exotic Rentals (11459 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604)

Kobe Galaxy – Custom Auto Craft (100 N. La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA)

#8 Kobe/ Kobe & Gigi (1255 South La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA)

The Legend (7701 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA) Piece on N. Spaulding Ave Block

Kobe & Gigi (7663 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA)

Girl Dad (Pickford Market 4566 Pickford Street, Los Angeles, CA)

Frobe (Shoe Palace 7725 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA)

Champion Kobe (1318 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles CA)

All of these murals are one of a kind, just like Kobe was. What I think is great is that it shows so many different sides of the Kobe we all knew. Remember to check out Staples Center ASAP as his memory is living on around LA Live in an unforgettable way. My recommendation is to either start their or end there. It will either fuel your fire to go on this journey or end it with a champion celebration. So get out there and pay your respects, it will be an experience you will never forget.

 

Kobe Bryant: Los Angeles Forever Hero

(Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)

Los Angeles wasn’t ready for the joy, the heart, and the determination a 17 year old kid from Lower Merion High School was going to bring into their lives. The only person ready at the time…Kobe Bryant. While Lakers GM Jerry West believed in him, most people probably thought he should be in college studying. The funny thing is, Kobe was a student of the game and had been studying not only basketball but the NBA his entire life.

The son of former NBA player, Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, Kobe had a love for the game that was unmatched from an early age. Bryant’s youngest years were during his fathers basketball career transitioning from the NBA to International ball. Even though the young Bryant was growing up in Italy that only fueled his love for the game as he would study NBA games his family would send to him from America.

Nobody knew that a kid growing up in Italy was going to take America by storm. As Kobe mentioned in his Showtime documentary “Kobe Bryant’s Muse”, he hated his new life back in Philadelphia. He ate his lunches alone, he was the outcast, but he let his game do the talking in the process. He used all his pent up anger, all the discomfort and turned it into greatness. Just one of the lessons Kobe would teach us in his lifetime.

After an amazing senior season where he would lead his team to a state championship and be awarded the Naismith National Player of the Year, Kobe would enter the NBA Draft. The Lakers would trade up for Bryant, and were ready to build a franchise on the back of a 17 year old kid who needed his parents to sign his first contract.

The Lakers paired their young star with another superstar in the making Shaquille O’neal who had signed a monster contract in free agency. Kobe’s first couple of years weren’t as easy as he had hoped. One game that changed his career and helped create the Kobe we know today was a playoff game against the Utah Jazz. Kobe would air ball four shots in crucial moments late in the game, which the Lakers would lose the series to the Jazz. That moment would eat Kobe up as he would once again use adversity to fuel his fire and love for the game.

The fire lit by adversity, the pairing with Shaq, the hiring of coaching legend in Phil Jackson all led to an amazing dynasty that would bring the Lakers and Los Angeles three straight championships. It was a new era in Laker land, all led by a 21 year old star who dreamed of being a Laker his whole life.

Shaq would later go to the Heat and there were many tough losing seasons that followed. Kobe stayed loyal to the Lakers and Los Angeles stayed loyal to him. He showed us that tough times don’t last, tough people do. He got us through the tough times and brought us two more championships with a new and improved team.

Even later in his career, he taught us to never give up. After tearing his achilles, he knew his team needed him so he stepped up and knocked down two free throws like only Kobe could. In his last game against Utah he did the unthinkable and dropped 60 points leading the Lakers to victory and giving us one last amazing moment to cherish.

Kobe’s work ethic was unmatched, his drive to win was insane, he was a hero and a villain. These characteristics would bring happiness to fans, get under the skin of his rivals and push his teammates to be better than they ever thought they could be. No matter what character he portrayed, he had the respect of everyone in the room.

Respect was very important to Kobe. The respect he had for the game, for his teammates, for his opponents, and for himself taught us that relationships are everything. While Michael Jordan’s career was ending as his was beginning, he soaked up as much as he could from the greatest of all time. Their game had so much in common, their drive was the same but they were two different beasts.

Kobe was definitely the student, but soon he became the teacher. Not only was he showing the league what he was capable of, but he would show another teenager in LeBron James how to become great in a grown man’s league just like he once did. The entire basketball world, would pin Kobe & Lebron against each other for years but that only made their bond stronger. So strong that once Kobe would hang his Nike’s up for good, LeBron would join the Lakers and try to carry on the legacy that Kobe built but respecting his greatness in the process.

Kobe taught us life on and off the basketball court. He taught us to never give up, that hard work pays off, to motivate each other, to push ourselves beyond comfort, to love the process and to respect one another. As Los Angeles and the world continues to mourn the loss of our hero, we will celebrate him as we celebrated the buzzer beaters, the championships, and all of the moments that we loved. We will continue to live the way Kobe taught us to live, and pass it on to our future generations. We will get through this, we will stand up, walk to the free throw line and make two free throws for Kobe, for Gigi, for us.

Kobe Bryant Joins Many Legends With Many Missed Shots

November 11th, 2014 Kobe Bean Bryant became the NBA’s all time missed field goal shots leader with 13,418 missed shots. A record some people may have believed Bryant already held but it became official when Bryant passed Boston Celtics legend, John Havlicek who ended his career with 13,417 missed field goal shots. Kobe wasn’t done after breaking the record ending the game with 13,421 missed shots with many more coming soon.

Kobe Bryant leads a legendary list of players who have missed plenty of shots in their time.

In second place is Hall of Famer, 8 Time NBA Champion and 13 Time All Star, John Havlicek with 13,417 missed shots. In third place stands Hall of Famer, 12 Time All Star and NBA Champion, Elvin Hayes with 13,296.Fourth place belongs to Hall of Famer, 2 Time MVP and 14 Time All Star, Karl Malone with 12,682.5th on the list is Hall of Famer, NBA Leading Scorer, 6 Time MVP, 6 Time champion, and 19 Time All Star, Kareem Abdul Jabbar with 12,470. Last but not least is Hall of Famer, 5 Time MVP, 6 Time Champion and 14 Time All Star, Michael Jordan with 12,345.

Not including Kobe Bryant this amazing and legendary list has accumulated: 5 Hall of Famers, 21 NBA Championships, 13 MVP Trophies, 72 All Star Appearances, and 1 NBA All Time Leading Scorer.

Not only have these players achieved so much but all of them reside in the Top 15 Scorers in NBA history. Leading the way is Kareem (38,387), #2) Karl Malone (36,928), #3) Michael Jordan (32,292), #4) Kobe Bryant (45,811 and counting), #8) Elvin Hayes (27,313), and #13) John Havlicek (26,395).

The fact that these players reside in the Top 15 Scorers in NBA history means they must have made a lot of shots, which makes sense why they all reside in the Top 10 Most Field Goals Made in NBA History. Once again leading the way is Kareem (15,837), #2) Karl Malone (13,528), #4 Michael Jordan (12,192), #6) Kobe Bryant (11,121 and counting), #7) Elvin Hayes (10,976), and #10) John Havlicek (10,513).

Another statistic all of these players have in common is that they are all in the Top 25 Minutes played in NBA history. Leading the way is Kareem (57,446), #2) Karl Malone (54,852), #4) Elvin Hayes (50,000), #10) John Havlicek (46,471), #12) Kobe Bryant (45,811 and counting), and #24) Michael Jordan (41,011).

A funny statistic is that only 1 of these players reside in the Top 50 in Field Goal Percentage Made which is Kareem Abdul Jabbar at #15 with 55.9%. A lot of shots were made and missed by all of these players but only Kareem was the most efficient, which was due to being feet away from the basket most of the time.

It’s obvious that all these players are amazing scorers but it may surprise a lot of you that 4 of these elite scorers reside in the Top 50 NBA Assists Leaders of All Time. Leading the way at #29 is John Havlicek (6,144), #32) Kobe Bryant (5,949 and counting), #40) Kareem (5,660), and #42) Michael Jordan (5,633).

All in all Kobe Bryant is in great company when it comes to missing shots, making shots, minutes played, and assists. The numbers don’t lie and whether you hate Kobe or love Kobe for his most recent accolade, he is still amongst legends who have made the game what it is today. So as Kobe continues to miss shots and make shots he is only doing what others have done before him and is racking up many achievements along the way.

Your 2014 NBA All Star Starters!

                                     The 2014 NBA All Star Starters were just announced on TNT’s Inside The NBA. There were four first time starters voted in which included, Stephen Curry, Paul George, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. LeBron James was the leading vote getter with 1,416,419 votes, followed closely by Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who finished with 1,396,294 votes.

Western Conference All Star Starters

Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers
Stephen Curry, Golden State
Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City
Blake Griffin, L.A. Clippers
Kevin Love, Minnesota

Eastern Conference All Star Starters

Carmelo Anthony, New York
Paul George, Indiana
Kyrie Irving, Cleveland
LeBron James, Miami
Dwyane Wade, Miami

The NBA Commissioner will select the reserves, which will be announced on Thursday, Jan. 30, on TNT. The 63rd NBA All-Star Game will be exclusively televised on TNT from New Orleans Arena on Sunday, Feb. 16.

Kobe Bryant Is The NBA’s Highest Paid Player!

Along with the NBA’s most valued franchises, Forbes also released the highest paid players in the NBA! The list only included the top 10 players but included the usual suspects.

1) Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers- $64.5 Million Dollars

2) LeBron James, Miami Heat- $61.1 Million Dollars

3) Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls- $38.6 Million Dollars

4) Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder- $31.8 Million Dollars

5) Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat- $30.7 Million Dollars

6) Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks- $30.4 Million Dollars

7) Amar’e Stoudemire, New York Knicks- $28.2 Million Dollars

8) Dwight Howard, Houston Rockets- $26.5 Million Dollars

9) Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks- $23.2 Million Dollars

10) Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers- $22.7 Million Dollars

8 Years Ago Today Kobe Bryant Scored 81 Points

8 years ago today, on a horrible Los Angeles Lakers team, Kobe Bryant dropped a career high and ridiculous 81 points on the Toronto Raptors. It was one of the best scoring performances of our generation, since billions of us never saw Wilt Chamberlain’s historic 100 point game. Bryant scored 81 points on 28-46 field goal attempts, 7-13 three pointers, and 18-20 free throws. Check out down below as Jalen Rose recaps Kobe’s 81 points on Grantland as he was one of the main defenders Kobe was doing work against.

Los Angeles Clippers Star Chris Paul Will Be Out 3-5 Weeks!!

Bad news for Los Angeles Clippers fans as their star point guard will be out 3-5 weeks with a separated shoulder. It’s bad enough it’s 3-5 weeks but there’s rumors the shoulder could require surgery which would put the star guard out even longer. You always hate to see a great player like  Chris Paul go out but this year the injuries aren’t playing favorites as Russell Westbrook, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Deron Williams, Al Horford and Derrick Rose have all been out this year. Wishing all players a speedy recovery!

The Lakers Found A Point Guard: Kendall Marshall

For those new to the the second year point guard, Kendall Marshall was one of colleges best point guards 2 years ago at the University of North Carolina. He became the 13th pick in the 2012 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns. It was a pick that told Steve Nash his time in Phoenix was over. Nobody would think that a year later they would become Lakers teammates. With the Suns he averaged 3 points, 3 assists in 15 minutes as the team finished in last place with a 25-57 record. Marshall was traded to the Washington Wizards where he was released and picked up by the Delaware 87ers of the NBA Development League.

The Delaware 87ers of the NBA Development League is where the Los Angeles Lakers found him as he averaged 19.4 points and 9.6 assists. As many know, the Lakers were having a plague of injuries to their point guards and were going to be without a point guard for weeks to come. Last night, Kendall Marshall received his first start against the Utah Jazz and didn’t disappoint. Marshall was the perfect point guard as he scored 20 points on 8-12 shooting, 6 rebounds, 15 assists and ONE TURNOVER. The Lakers won their first game of 2014, 110 to 99. Marshall became the first player since Kobe Bryant in February 2002 to reach 20 points and 15 assists in a game. The most important thing is the Lakers won but it was fun watching Kendall Marshall help a team that really needed it. It’s only the first start but there will be many more to come as the other point guards heal. Best of luck Kendall.

 

OH MY BOSH!! Chris Bosh Hits The Game Winning Three!!!

No LeBron James? No Problem! Down by two with about 8 seconds left on the clock Chris Bosh nails the game winning three! Most people would think of this as a surprise but….Chris Bosh is actually very clutch! Check out the stats down below