DAMIAN LILLARD

There has long been a lot of crossover between the basketball and hip-hop world. We regularly see artists putting in work in the gym with top hoops trainers and even trying their hand at pro ball, while there is a long history of NBA players hopping in the studio to put out a rap album. As 2 Chainz — who played basketball at Alabama State — once eloquently explained to Dime, a lot of rappers and basketball players come from the same places.

“I know for a lot of Blacks, we thought that our only way to get out of the hood was either rappin’ or playing basketball,” 2 Chainz said. “So it has a common denominator for me and people who have a low socioeconomic status for a background. It kind of feels like you have to have a sport or some kind of other skill set, you dig, to get your mama a house. So that’s why we all want to play basketball, and that’s why all basketball players want to rap.”

However, there are levels to success in that crossover realm, and plenty of debate as to who has done the best when dipping a toe into that other world. On the most recent episode of Uproxx’s “Fresh Pair,” Dave East joined Just Blaze and Katty Customs and the conversation turned to hoops (5:00 mark of the above video). East played college ball at Richmond and Towson before becoming a hip-hop artist, and as such, he’s well-equipped to offer his list of the best ballers who rap and rappers who ball — noting there aren’t many that can really hoop.

“Ballers to rap? I would say, gotta throw Shaq in there. Shaq had a feature with Biggie, so you always gotta throw Shaq in. Shaq was hard, he was probably one of the first ones,” East said. “A.I. I feel like a lot of people don’t put Iverson in there, but I remember the “40 Bars” and all that. I remember Iverson, you feel me. Dame Lillard, to me now, in this generation right now, I think Dame got it as far as a baller that rap.

“Rappers to ball? Me. Yeah, I’m gonna put myself on the top of that list. I gotta get in shape. I feel like a lot of them rapper basketball dudes, they do it now. They got famous, they got a name, and that’s like their hobby in their free time. Like, I really used to play basketball. Before I ever wrote a rhyme or ever really thought about this, I was in the park or in the gym. I was really playing ball. When I see them lists, I laugh. I really used to do that. I need 30 days to get in shape. I got real footage on a real Division 1 program. Go find another rapper, I think 2 Chainz played D1. But it wasn’t too many of them that was. There’s a few of ‘em that nice. Salute the ones that are.”

It’s safe to say East isn’t very impressed by the videos of artists in the lab with Chris Brickley and other hoops trainers, but he does recognize he would need a month to train to get back in actual hoops shape.