New Jersey Nets GM Says Jay-Z Plays An Active Role In Team Decision Making

You think court-side seats and free jerseys are the only reasons hip-hoppers are getting involved with NBA teams?

Well, think again. The New Jersey Nets general manager Billy King revealed that Jay-Z plays an active role in team decisions. As part owner of the franchise, Hov was noted for showing his passion in the boardroom.

“I think a lot of those so-called guys that have parts of teams, they vanish,” said King at his end-of-season press conference on Wednesday. “There was one in Cleveland, what was his name? Usher. They haven’t seen him. I think Nelly in (Charlotte) — haven’t seen him. But Jay-Z, I think players see that it’s more of a passion for him, not just something he’s involved in.”

King also says the rap mogul determined to bring the Nets to his hometown.

“To see [Jay-Z] give a pitch on Brooklyn, and the passion about going to Brooklyn – you see it on tape, you see it on TV. To see him in a room with Carmelo, and making it, you see the passion there,” King said. “And if he’s as passionate about Brooklyn, I just can’t imagine what the other people that live there are going to be like when we get there. And to see him as involved and as passionate about the Nets, to me, it’s a real positive. It’s not just something that he’s just using, or investing in. It’s something that he’s going to be involved in even more when we get – next season, I think, even further, we go to Brooklyn.”