Rumors

What stands out most in Gordon’s already one-of-a-kind warehouse gym home are the celebrity icons from different genres. Many are no longer with us. Gordon chose each specifically for daily motivation. A young Obama smoking marijuana. Einstein. Athletes including Serena Williams, Muhammad Ali, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Tony Hawk, Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Pele, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Jackie Robinson. Dancer Josephine Baker. Actor and martial arts legend Bruce Lee. Musicians Billie Holliday, Prince, Lauryn Hill, Miles Davis, Bob Marley, Jimmy Hendrix, B.B. King, Notorious B.I.G., Nipsey Hussle, Michael Jackson and Mac Miller. Olympic activists John Carlos and Tommie Smith. Comedian Richard Pryor. Actor Heath Ledger. Civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. Civil rights activist and Muslim minister Malcolm X. Filmmaker Spike Lee. Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. Antiapartheid activist Nelson Mandela. Legendary sports journalist Stuart Scott. Poet Maya Angelou. “I got everybody there from Muhammad Ali to Bruce Lee,” Aaron Gordon said. “You have greatness looking at you. You can’t be [joking around]. It makes you want to not bulls—.”

Andscape

LeBron James: And MJ — we all know MJ. Even if you don’t know him personally, he’s one of the most ruthless competitors there is. And until I’m done — and he doesn’t have to look at me running up and down wearing the number 23, and every time my name is mentioned, it’s mentioned with his — Don’t talk to me right now. I’m on the back nine. Do not call me. (...) I mean, like I said — I wear 23 because of MJ. The inspiration he gave me as a kid in Akron, Ohio — where we didn’t have much inspiration in the hometown — you look at someone. It’s gotta be somebody in sports, somebody in music, somebody on the TV screen. Will Smith from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Michael Jordan playing for the Bulls, Jay-Z, Biggie, Tupac — That was my inspiration. You know what I’m saying? I needed that.

YouTube

The covers, many with hip-hop references, were memorable for players. NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal said he doesn’t remember all the SLAM covers he was featured in, but when shown a few, one caught his attention. “I remember that one,” he said, identifying the September 2000 issue that had “Victorious BIG” in the background. It celebrated O’Neal’s first championship with the Los Angeles Lakers. The basketball connection is clear, but the title also is a play off the name of one of O’Neal’s favorite rappers: The Notorious B.I.G. “This one is my favorite,” he said.

New York Times

Shammgod was especially close with Mase, a quadruple platinum-selling rapper in the late 90s while on the Bad Boy label with Puff Daddy and Biggie Smalls. “I remember one night, me and Mase being so close, we’re arguing, and I’m like, ‘You think you’re going to be Biggie Smalls? You’re never going to be Biggie Smalls.’ This is before he met Puff,” Shammgod said before his Mavericks fell in a 3-0 hole, falling 106-99 to the Celtics on Wednesday night in Dallas. “And he’s telling me, ‘Aww, you think you’re Isiah Thomas? You’re not Isiah Thomas. And then 10 years later, he’s Mase and I’m Shammgod.”

New York Post

Now, Zion’s recent Instagram story posted on Thursday has fans raising some eyebrows. The concern stems from the Pelicans star posting a 15-second snippet of The Notorious B.I.G.’s 1994 hit song “Suicidal Thoughts” on his personal Instagram account. The lyrics were displayed on the screen as the song played. “I’m glad I’m dead, a worthless f—ing buddha head. The stress is building up. I can’t believe suicide is on my f—ing mind, I wanna leave. I swear to god, I feel like death is f—ing calling me,” the lyrics read.

Larry Brown Sports

Zion Williamson loved playing deejay in his mother’s car during his childhood every time she left him alone with her CDs while she ran errands. Sharonda Sampson owned a lot of R&B and hip-hop CDs for the future New Orleans Pelicans star to choose from. And for the most part, Williamson would choose rapper The Notorious B.I.G. “When I was younger, my mom would go in the store, and I would be sitting in the car. She had [Jay-Z’s] The Blueprint and Reasonable Doubt. Mary J. [Blige’s] What’s the 411 and My Life. And Big’s CD was in there, too,” Williamson told Andscape following the Pelicans’ practice Tuesday at the team’s practice facility.

Andscape

“Notorious B.I.G.’s album Ready to Die really changed my mindset on life,” Williamson, 22, said. “And like I also said at the beginning of the year, if it’s in God’s plan for me to be who I feel like I should be, then it’s in his plan. If not, got to live with it.”

Andscape

I saw a tweet recently from Larry Nance who said much of his time, musically speaking, is talking to younger players in the locker room and trying to educate them about music. Is that something you deal with often, as well, taking the teacher role? Victor Oladipo: Yeah, I mean, sometimes you got to, man. Because they’re getting younger and younger, man, year in and year out. Some guys might not have even heard of Tupac and Biggie. You know what I mean? They don’t even know Tupac and Biggie. So, sometimes you’ve got to fill them in and put a little history, give them a little history class in the locker room.

HoopsHype

“I've never been jaded,” Crawford said on The Crossover podcast, in his first extensive interview since joining Turner Sports full time. The network made the hiring official on Thursday. “Like, Tupac wore Shaq's jersey! Biggy Smalls wore Shaq's jersey! Michael Jackson, in his apartment in New York, had a life-size cut out of Shaq! Like Shaq's unbelievable. And I've never, ever, ever been jaded by that.”

Sports Illustrated

Purdue Mens Basketball: 💔 Devastated. Our thoughts and prayers to Caleb Swanigan’s family and friends. The world lost a gentle soul last night. Love you Biggie.

Twitter

After moving to Vancouver, British Columbia, at the age of 7, Robert Sacre lost touch with horses completely. Embracing the city life and basketball, he didn’t touch a horse until coming to Spokane to play basketball for GU. Eventually, he met people with horses and found his way back to the animals from his youth. Now, he has two horses of his own and has sold a couple of race horses. Biggie, a quarter horse and thoroughbred cross, stands at about 17 hands. His other horse, Swingtime, is slightly smaller at about 16.3 hands and is a Tennessee Walker.

gonzagabulletin.com

The space has been reimagined as a grand residence complete with a living room, dining room, an intimate salon and a fully stocked pantry. Dark paneled walls, layers of rich fabrics and parquet floors set the stage for a pre-game cocktail, a decadent dinner, or a night of intrigue. The name Crown Club is a nod to the rich history of Brooklyn, the borough of Kings. In celebrating the legacies of the Brooklyn greats, the Nets have paid homage to artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Biggie Smalls, who have invoked the crown in their works.

NBA.com

The Los Angeles Lakers legend also spoke about his experiences with the late great Kobe Bryant and The Notorious BIG, and he gave advice for all up-and-coming and established entrepreneurs looking to take their business to the next level.

TalkBasket

No matter what the haters say, the Brooklyn Nets' country singing halftime performer says he had a freakin' blast singing DMX and Notorious B.I.G. on Tuesday ... telling TMZ Sports he's unbothered by people pissed about his nod to the rap legends. 35-year-old singer Sam James went viral on social media after performing at the Nets vs. Bucks game ... with some folks giving their honest (and sometimes brutal) reviews of his setlist involving rap covers.

TMZ.com