James Harden, Chris Bosh and more: 5 NBA players who have had feud with rap stars
NBA players are no strangers to rap. Many of them listen to it frequently and motivate themselves with their favorite tracks. Some of them are well-known among rappers and have become the subject of their lyrics.
While players usually have good relationships with rappers, there have been several feuds between them. Some of them were not very significant, but some generated animosity and diss tracks.
In this article, we will take a look at the five NBA players who have had a feud with rap stars.
1) DeShawn Stevenson vs. Jay-Z
Back in 2008, one of the weirdest rivalries began in the NBA. DeShawn Stevenson called LeBron James overrated during their first-round playoff series. Eventually Lebron's Cleveland Cavaliers beat Stevenson's Washington Wizards in six games, but their rivalry looped-in Jay-Z.
Shortly after Stevenson's comments went public, LeBron said that responding to the Wizards guard would be like "Jay-Z responding to Soulja Boy." Soulja Boy then attended their game and sided with Stevenson while Jay-Z recorded a diss track.
The two NBA players later made peace and Stevenson thought that the diss track was dope because Jay-Z made it.
2) Kris Humphries vs. Kanye West
Kris Humphries may be the least popular player on the list, but he still had beef with one of the most popular rap stars in Kanye West.
Humphries was in a relationship with Kim Kardashian. The socialite was also the wife of Kanye West for 8 years and they separated recently.
The NBA player played for the New Jersey Nets, a team that was partially owned by Jay-Z, a good friend of Kanye.
West brought up the situation in "Cold" and had a reference for Humphries:
"Lucky I ain’t have Jay drop him from the team"
I'm up at Brooklyn! @S_C_ "lucky I didn't have Jay drop me from the team" lol!
Later on, Humphries signed a $24 million contract with the Nets.
3) James Harden vs. Lil B
James Harden used to be one of the best NBA players a few years ago. When he played for the Houston Rockets, Harden won the MVP award and was a triple-double threat every single night.
However, Lil B had a problem with Harden's 'cooking' celebration.
Go warriors @warriors and let James harden no he doing the Lil B cooking dance if he doing that flickin wrist or whipping he mark - Lil B
The rapper believes that the NBA superstar stole his moves without crediting him, which is what caused the beef between them.
4) Rasheed Wallace vs. E-40
Rasheed Wallace was one of the most valuable NBA players during his prime. Thanks to his continuous effort and physicallity, the big man helped the Detroit Pistons win a championship in 2004.
However, Wallace's early career was marked with a beef with E-40, an Oakland rapper. The young NBA player dismissed the rapper, which is what caused E-40 to call him out on a diss track.
Later on, Wallace approached E-40 in Portland and apologized for his comments.
5) Chris Bosh vs. Lil Wayne
When Chris Bosh joined the Miami Heat in 2010, he was one of the most hated NBA players. The Heat were not only disliked by fans, but also by Lil Wayne, who didn't feel that he was getting enough respect from LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Bosh.
During the 2013 NBA All-Star Weekend, the popular rapper cursed out the three NBA players while also adding that he slept with Chris Bosh's wife.
The beef didn't last for long as almost everyone ignored it, leaving Lil Wayne with nothing else to respond to.