There's no denying that basketball and hip-hop go hand in hand. Seeing as how the bouncing of the ball on the court can somewhat mimic the sound of bass thumping, it seems only right that basketball players might want to venture into the world of music. OK, maybe it isn't right, but it is happening. And it has happened. Come on, even Jay-Z owns a basketball team so you know there has to be some correlation! Whether b-ball players spitting rhymes turned out to be a good thing or bad thing, we'll leave the passing of judgment up to you but in the spirit of “trying,” here are our five picks of ballers who have done more than play the game. They've tried to make a slam dunk in the rap game as well.
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5- Kobe Bryant ft. Tyra Banks- K.O.B.E.
Two things that don't go together are Tyra Banks and singing, and Kobe Bryant and rapping. Wait…there are actually three things. Kobe and Tyra collaborating on a song called K.O.B.E. (in case you were unclear on how to spell his name). This “song” was performed on NBA TV and please pardon the crap quality of the video but it's fitting because…well, you know why. We just think it's best that Kobe sticks to smashing boards and sucking on his jersey.
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4- Tony Parker ft. Fabolous and Booba -Top of the Game
Tony Parker is the man on the court holding it down alongside Tim Duncan but when he gets on the mic, WTF is he saying? We don't speak French but we're sure he is waxing poetic in the language of love doing something that he clearly loves. It's hard to judge what we don't understand but we're going to guess there is a reason that Tony doesn't make a career in the studio.
3- Allen Iverson- 40 Bars
It should be mentioned that Allen Iverson aka A.I. aka Bubba Chuck aka The Answer is my all-time favorite player. That being said, I refuse to say anything bad about the man. Except that he should have made an actual video for this song. I guess commitment sometimes isn't his strong suit. I'd also like to add that Allen Iverson aka the rapper Jewelz can spit rhymes better than a lot of rappers these days who just repeat a lyric over and over and call it “music.” I know…I'm bias.
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2- Marquis “Q6” Daniels ft. Dee Boi- Kome here Nikki
Wow. We're not even sure what to say about this video because it pretty much left us speechless but we'll muster up a few words for you. Marquis Daniels has jumped from team to team in the NBA so it's easy to see why he'd want to jump into the world of rap. Change suits him well. He also apparently likes “Grand Theft Auto” because he molded this video after it and truth be told, he's got one of the most professional videos out of them all which can only mean, he's in it to win it. But Marquis, for the record, it's spelled “come” not “kome.” OK, glad we cleared that up.
1- Kevin Durant- Kevin Durant ft. Privaledge- Wired (Paid in Full)
From breaking ankles on the court with the Oklahoma City Thunder to breaking records and winning titles, Kevin Durant is a real basketball sensation. But Kevin Durant the MC? Hmmmm. Crediting his fascination with how beats are made, the “Durantula” couldn't wait to master his other passion of getting in the studio and laying down some tracks. At the end of the day, Kevin actually isn't that bad but he's so much more suited as a MC of the courts.
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Ali Lerman knows much about comedy, basketball, and celebrating Wu-Tang Wednesday. She’s been writing for sixteen years and still calls her mom with grammatical questions.