Rumors

But Oubre wants to set the record straight: He's not a rapper. At all. "I make beats. It's more so to show the creative side on the producing side. But it's just fun, man," Oubre told reporters after the Sixers' victory over the Miami Heat on Thursday. For a guy with a library full of unique sayings, Oubre claims he doesn't talk a lot. Producing beats, Oubre feels, allows people to get to know him and his interests. "Just kind of peel back the layers a little bit," Oubre explained.

Sports Illustrated

One song in particular—"Fast & Furious"—has caught attention because Oubre inexplicably claims that he thinks Paul Walker, the star of the Fast & Furious film franchise, is his father in the lyrics of the song. That has been a topic of conversation within the team. "Obviously, it was meant to be funny. So I'm glad everybody picked up on that. It wasn't supposed to be No. 1 on billboard charts. It was just something to be funny and fun and try to have fun with this," Oubre explained. "I'm a big Fast & Furious guy. For real, for real. I love it. I have two GTRs. I got all the fast cars that I ever dreamed about—except a couple, but we'll keep working for that," Oubre said of the inspiration behind the Walker reference. "But, yeah man, Paul Walker is the GOAT in the Fast & Furious series. Rest in peace."

Sports Illustrated

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Beyond the court, you’ve been busy. Tell me about the clothing line and your other ventures. Lance Stephenson: I’m just starting something new. I’ve been out the league and I’m just trying to find myself. I’ve been rapping, I’ve been in movies, I have clothing lines coming out… I’m just trying to have fun, man. Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: On the music side, who would you compare your rap flow to? Lance Stephenson: I feel like I can do it all. I have no comparisons. There is a lot of talent out here, but I try to do singing, I try to do country—I’m trying to do all types of stuff. I’m trying to do everything. I do rap and I have a lot of music; I just put out a piece of it recently.

ScoopB.com

How many times have you watched Damian Lillard hit a defender with a dribble jab, create separation and hit a 3-pointer? That bar perfectly encapsulated his hip-hop and basketball skills. “Wasatch Front” was a defining moment for Lillard. “What’s Up Doc? (Can We Rock?)” was a defining moment for O’Neal. When we talk about hip-hop meshing with basketball players, those two provided the blueprint. The list is longer than some may assume. There was Cedric Ceballos in the early 1990s. Gary Payton, Chris Webber and Allen Iverson all dabbled in the genre. The late, great Kobe Bryant put out a memorable collaboration with R&B superstar Brian McKnight, “Hold Me,” in 1997.

New York Times

Shaquille O'Neal has released five studio albums. One of them, “Shaq Diesel,” went platinum. Another, “Shaq Fu: Da Return,” went gold. His track “Biological Didn’t Bother” was a terrifically told story about the absence of his biological father from his life. It also gave a glimpse into what kind of father he would later become. What made O’Neal shine, however, was his collaborations. The list of artists he worked with in that era is long and elite. He worked with Phife from A Tribe Called Quest. He worked with EPMD, one of the best rap groups ever. He worked with DJ Quik, Ice Cube, Black Thought, Peter Gunz, Method Man and RZA. He has also worked with Nas and Jay-Z.

New York Times

A winter afternoon in Salt Lake City might be the last setting where you’d expect to find a celebration of Afrobeats, a musical meshing of West African rhythms and styles. But in Utah in 2023, a medley by the Nigerian singers Tems, Burna Boy and Rema at halftime of the N.B.A. All-Star Game showed that American sports leagues were embracing the genre. “I was just so proud to see our own playing on that stage,” said Masai Ujiri, then the president of the Toronto Raptors, who was raised in Nigeria and takes dance lessons to the music about once a week. Afrobeats had been part of track and field and soccer culture by that point, but its influence on the sports world has only grown since.

New York Times

Now, as Roundball Rock returns, John Tesh, who composed the iconic theme, is releasing a whole dang album. The six-time Emmy Award-winning and two-time Grammy-nominated composer, broadcaster, and musician announced Sports, his first album of all-original music in over 20 years.

Awful Announcing

When Luka Doncic decides to leave the court for good, the Los Angeles Lakers star might have a career in comedy after a video with The Backstreet Boys went viral. Doncic made a hilarious appearance in Backstreet Boys’ Brian Littrell’s video. The group is performing a Vegas residency at The Sphere for their Into the Millennium Tour throughout the summer. Doncic, who is 6’6, towers over Littrell, who stands at 5’8, pulled up backstage to chat with singers. In the video, Littrell found a solution to talk to Doncic at eye level when the singer knelt on a tall table in order to speak to Doncic. Alongside Littrell, the group that began in 1993 also features Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and Kevin Richardson. This is the group’s first tour since the DNA World Tour, which ran from 2019 to 2023. Rich and Tone Talauega, who are best known as Rich + Tone, have been with the band as choreographers and creative directors since the beginning of their careers are also choreographing the Into the Millennium Tour.

Clutch Points

“I mean, it was a long road to get there,” Rich said to The Post, speaking on the group’s first show of the tour, which began on July 11. “We started developing this at the end of last year, going into the new year.” “Just the venue itself was exciting. To know that we were gonna work with the Boys and actually put the first pop boy band in the Sphere for the very first time. So from so many different perspectives and angles, man, it was really, really exciting to see it open,” Rich reflected.

Clutch Points

On July 25, a new single titled “Damage Control” dropped under the Culture Jam project—a platform that merges NBA talent with hip-hop artists. The track features Wale and Pusha T, and while Edwards isn’t listed as a vocalist, he’s credited as co-producer of the single. He helped push the release on social media, appeared in early promotional clips, and played a direct role in the collaboration’s launch.

LEAGUEALERTS

Jeff Teague on Kendrick Lamar selling out two nights in Toronto: Two nights. I mean, fans are fans. But to sell out two nights in Toronto when Drake is there… That's tough. Drake is Toronto.

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XXL Magazine: Gelo performing “Tweaker” with his brother Lonzo Ball at the #BETAwards pre-show 🗣️

x.com

Shaquille O’Neal on mosh pitting as DJ Diesel: “Trust me, it's not safe. I go out there, whole 30,000 coming to have to hold them people up. Q. Was there ever one that actually made you nervous? Shaq: Yes, because one time I had a little girl that similar to my work wife's size and she was just hugging me, but everybody was coming and she fell. So now she's on the ground and stepping on. So now I got to get violent… Now I got to throw a couple elbows. So I had an incident in Germany where the girl got messed up and I had to take her to the hospital. She was okay.”

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Eric Woodyard: The #Pistons continue to have their pulse on Detroit’s hip-hop and music scene. On March 25th, they’ll begin selling a limited-edition merchandise collab and bobblehead with Detroit rapper @BigSean as a part of Big Sean Night vs. the Spurs at 7 p.m. at Little Caesars Arena. 🔥 pic.x.com/RWpbpo1V7q

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