NBA great LeBron James has weighed in on the debate surrounding who’s the rapper with the best overall basketball skills, giving Lil Durk that crowning achievement. A fixture within the Hip-Hop community, James has offered his services as a de facto A&R for various rap artists, but this is one of the first instances in which he’s reversed the roles, which occurred during the latest episode of his HBO show Uninterrupted.
“Lil Durk,” James answered when asked which rapper has the best skills on the hardwood. “Lil Durk can hoop.”
The Los Angeles Laker also mentioned a few other artists who’ve gained reputations as serious hoopers, albeit while accounting for the handful who played on a highly competitive level prior to making a name in entertainment, particularly “Mo Bamba” rapper Sheck Wes.
“And by the way, and this ain’t fair, because he actually… no this guy actually played ball though,” James explained, before comparing the hoop journey of J. Cole with that of Sheck, who was a standout on the New York City basketball circuit years before his career in music. “J. Cole cool, but Sheck Wes, he was a real ballplayer though. Like he can hoop for real.”
2 Chainz, a guest on the episode, and Quavo also garnered mentions, however, James is adamant about Durk having separated himself from the pack, noting his range as a shooter and possession of the intangibles that make a great player.
“2 Chainz can hoop too,” added the four-time NBA champ. “But Lil Durk, he can hoop for real. Man, he lifetime hooping. He can hoop for real. Lil Durk, he’s got a fu*king canon too. He got a peel. And he look like a motherfu*ker that can.”
After catching wind of James’ praise, Durkio shared a clip of the conversation on his own Instagram page on Sunday (April 10), writing, “I don’t want to hear sh*t nomo from nobody lol,” seemingly bowing out of the debate with fans and artists about who’s truly the nicest rapper on the court.