LeBron James has been able to transcend the sport of basketball in a way that only a few before him and after him have been able to do. Entering the NBA a few months after his idol and the NBA’s biggest star Michael Jordan retired, LeBron James immediately ascended to the top of the NBA as the face of the league.
LeBron is as big a name off the court as he is on it. His numerous ventures off the court have made sure that he has strong ties to some of the biggest names in the world of sports and entertainment. But one rapper was so impressed with LeBron that he compared him to the one person he thought was on his level in a different field; himself.
In 2012, Kanye West and his label G.O.O.D Music released a compilation project entitled Cruel Summer.
On the project, one song garnered a lot of attention for its lyrics. On ‘New God Flow, a song he did with Pusha-T and Ghostface Killa, Kanye compared his own recent public redemption arc with that of LeBron James after his departure from Cleveland to the success he found in Miami. To make it even more interesting, Yeezy did this while taking a shot at Michael Jordan and his shoes (2:20 onwards).
Hold up, I ain’t trying to stunt, man
But these Yeezys jumped over the Jumpman
Went from most hated to the champion god flow
I guess that’s a feeling only me and Lebron know
Kanye and LeBron James actually had a pretty strong relationship in the past. When LeBron James announced his decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and join the Miami Heat, Kanye West was in attendance watching his then-friend make the announcement that changed the course of the NBA.
But in recent years, their relationship has been a little strained, mostly because of Kanye’s association with Adidas, and LeBron being one of Nike’s biggest representatives. Kanye may have also dissed LeBron on a song last year. But clearly, Kanye had a lot of respect for LeBron James and his winning ways.
