I need my money pronto
Get it in the morning like Alonzo
Surprising for us to, but in a song that consists of mostly two words there is a clever NBA reference as Tyga goes on a little wordplay tour from repeatedly chanting ‘Rack City’.
Drake – Weston Road
A lot of people just hit me up when my name is mentioned
Shout out to KD, we relate, we get the same attention
It’s rainin’ money, Oklahoma City Thunder
The most successful rapper 35 and under
When Drake is not making music he is on an NBA court, so naturally, he has a lot of NBA references in his lyrics. Here, he gives a shout out to Kevin Durant, and the use of number 35 is not accidental, as that is KD’s jersey number.
Drake – Free Smoke
Mama never used to cook much
Used to chef KD
Now me and Chef, KD
Bet on shots for twenty G’s
The first chef KD stands for Kraft Dinner’s, which Drizzy’s mom used to make him, the second stand for the two best shooters in the league right now.
Max mostly, undivided then slide in sickening,
Guaranteed made ’em jump like Rod Strickland
The Wu-Tang Clan’s legendary track Triumph ends with this bar from Reakwon with which he pays homage to Rod Strickland’s pump fake which made a lot of players jump for a block that never came.
The Notorious B.I.G. – Gimme the Loot
I’m slammin’ niggas like Shaquille, this shit is real
When it’s time to eat a meal, I rob and steal
One of the best verses in rap music ever starts by referencing one of the best players in the NBA ever. It’s also interesting to gauge how long was Shaq relevant as this song came out in 1994!
Kanye West – Can’t Tell Me Nothing
Class started 2 hours ago, oh am I late?
No, I already graduated
And you can live through anything if Magic made it
The old, inspirational Kanye doesn’t reflect on a player’s skill on the court, but his resilience off it as Magic Johnson was diagnosed with AIDS in the ’90s but is still very much alive.
Nothing was fucking awesome, trying to make it from the bottom of Syd’s
Feeling as hard as Vince Carter’s knee cartilage is
Such a tongue-breaker of a bar that it had to be included.
Just like I’m the king on the microphone
So is Dr. J and Moses Malone
A classic NBA reference and you knew it would be on here.
With more game than Ron Harper
The bomb sparker rapper slash charm robber
And everytime I’m jammed I always find a loophole
I got a crime record longer than Manute Bol
Big L has two of the best NBA references in the whole game.
I’m on point like CP3
And I’ll be goin down in rap as the MVP
Simple and straight to the point, the best way to rap and to lead offenses.
But I’m hoop dreamin’, hangin up pictures of my idols
Jordan was like Jesus, SLAM was like the Bible
I used to read it twice and cut the pictures out
Had the Jordan free throw dunk tongue stickin’ out
The thing about references is that they have to be specific in order to be magnificent and noteworthy, and you can’t get more nostalgic than these poster bars from J. Cole.
A Tribe Called Quest (Phife Dog) – Steve Biko
The height of Muggsy Bogues, complexion of a hockey puck
You better ask somebody on how we flip the script
We’re wondering if any of the today’s short NBA players will get a shout out a worthy as Muggsy Bogues did.
I Eurostep past a hater like I’m Rondo
I upgrade your baby mama to a condo
Rajon Rondo could be one of the most referenced NBA players ever as his last name begs to be rhymed with. Gucci Mane probably did it the best as he really included a skill that is a signature weapon of the point guard.
Which of these NBA refrences do you like the most and did we omit any of your personal favorites? Share the bars in the coments below.
