NBA legend John Stockton found himself unexpectedly trending alongside Kendrick Lamar after the rapper name-dropped him during his Super Bowl LIX halftime performance. Stockton, best known for his pinpoint assists and legendary career with the Utah Jazz, had never been associated with hip-hop culture in such a direct way—until Lamar gave him a lyrical shoutout in Not Like Us.
Stockton recently addressed the unexpected attention during an episode of The Ultimate Assist Podcast, revealing that he and his family were eagerly watching the Super Bowl to see if Lamar would indeed mention him.
“I knew of the song, you know. I’ve got young people in my life—my kids all know about this song, and they frankly knew it was coming. So I think everybody was kind of huddled around the TV to see if my name got mentioned at halftime of the Super Bowl, which it did.”
“I know that my wife’s phone started ringing incessantly after that, and she spent the rest of the game texting back and forth with all the people that saw it. So it was apparently a big deal.”
“My grandfather won the NFL championship in 1926. He threw the touchdown pass to Two Bits Holman for the Frankfurt Yellow Jackets. They became the Philadelphia Eagles for $2,500 and 25% of the debt. So I guess I was pulling for the Eagles for family reasons.”
Watching the Super Bowl with my family, we anticipated Kendrick Lamar's halftime performance of 'Not Like Us.' Hearing my name mentioned was interestring. Proudly rooted for the Eagles for personal reasons. pic.twitter.com/7U5TodcL21
— The Ultimate Assist Podcast (@ultimate_assist) February 13, 2025
As one of the biggest NBA icons of all time, Stockton’s name appearing in the biggest hip-hop beef of the decade, involving Lamar and Drake, caught fans off guard. As it turns out, Stockton and his family were just as curious as everyone else to see if he’d make it into Lamar’s performance.
Shortly after Lamar dropped the lyric—”I’m finna crash on this body, I’m John Stockton”,— the NBA Hall of Famer’s wife’s phone started blowing up with calls and messages.
What really caught fans off guard was what Stockton shared next. While basketball fans associate him with NBA assists, his family’s sports legacy goes beyond the hardwood. Stockton revealed that his grandfather, Houston Stockton, was an NFL champion—winning the 1926 NFL Championship with the Frankford Yellow Jackets, a team that later became the Philadelphia Eagles.
This fun fact added another unexpected layer to the moment. Not only was Stockton’s name being broadcast to millions of Super Bowl viewers, but his family’s football history made it even more fitting for the occasion.
Lamar’s record-breaking Super Bowl performance had already generated a ton of buzz, particularly for its role in his ongoing feud with Drake. While some fans focused on the deeper meanings of the lyrics, others were just amused by Stockton’s unexpected involvement.
While Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s rap battle continues to dominate headlines, John Stockton’s name getting mixed into the cultural storm was one of the most unexpected twists. The NBA’s all-time assists leader now has a unique place in hip-hop history, even if he didn’t exactly ask for it.
And with his family’s deep sports roots, maybe it wasn’t such a random name-drop after all.
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