DimeMag

Quavo Is Now A Playable Character In NBA 2K22 But He’s Not Happy About His Player Rating

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In addition to being one-third of Atlanta rap trio Migos, Quavo is becoming increasingly well known for his love of basketball. He’s participated in the NBA’s All-Star celebrity game multiple times, winning the MVP award for the game in 2018, and helped launch Bleacher Report’s inaugural All-Star adjacent two-on-two game last year alongside 2 Chainz, Jack Harlow, and Lil Baby. Now, not only is he participating in the celebrity game again this year, but he’s also going to play in actual NBA games — NBA video games, that is.

Quavo was announced as the latest playable character in NBA 2K22, which is out now via 2K Games. The rapper made the announcement in an Instagram post showing off his character model during gameplay, and from the clips provided, it’s a frighteningly good likeness, right down to Quavo’s signature, iced-out glasses frames — which he would probably never wear in a real game. However, judging from the caption he added, it seems he has one major quibble with his in-game presentation.

“@ronnie2k why are u one point away from being rated the same as me?” he wondered, tagging 2K Games’ infamous digital marketing director Ronnie Singh, who was also added to the game as a playable character. “Who Rated Me??” Of course, players always tag Ronnie with qualms about their in-game player ratings, something the social media star made clear is always tongue-in-cheek and orchestrated to hype the game up (he, of course, probably has a lot of say in how he’s rated in-game, despite being far from NBA-ready). So, it really wouldn’t be official without some light griping from the game’s newest star, would it?

Check out Quavo’s announcement and in-game likeness below.

MGK Is Apparently Taking His NBA All-Star Celebrity Game Selection VERY Seriously

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The NBA’s All-Star Weekend in Cleveland, Ohio is right around the corner and while NBA players get the week off from a grueling 82-game season, some of the event’s participants have actually increased their activity in preparation for the festivities — including Cleveland native Machine Gun Kelly, who is apparently taking his selection to the celebrity game’s roster very seriously.

While the famous competitors in past iterations of the game have put previously existing hoop skills on display — Quavo, for instance, was a decorated high school athlete before his rap career took off — MGK has gone a step further, hiring celebrity skills coach Chris Matthews (aka @lethalshooter on Instagram) to help him brush up on his jumper before the game. Matthews, who has also worked with NBA players, WNBA players, and celebrities like
Anthony Davis, Candace Parker, and even Drake, posted a video of MGK running a shooting drill to his Instagram, which includes MGK sinking three (high school) three-pointers in a row and pre-emptively declaring himself MVP of the celebrity game.

Of course, MGK will have to outplay his teammate Quavo for that distinction — a tough sell, considering he’s been the game’s MVP in 2018 — as well as noted hoop aficionado Jack Harlow, who participated with Quavo in last year’s two-on-two event against Lil Baby and 2 Chainz, the WNBA’s Dearica Hambry, and former Harlem Globetrotter Crissa Jackson, among others.

J. Cole Co-Signs One-Armed Basketball Sensation Hansel Enmanuel In His New Dreamer Ad

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Anyone who is even sort of plugged into hoop Twitter or follows sports accounts on Instagram has likely learned of Hansel Enmanuel, an 18-year-old basketball player at Life Christian Academy in Kissimmee, Florida who has become a viral sensation for his play against other top high schoolers. While his flashy passes and dunks would be impressive enough on their own, they are made all the more so by his handicap; due to a childhood accident, the Dominican Republic-born Hansel only has one arm.

It’s a safe bet that’s where J. Cole, a hoops head and inspirational story in his own right, first learned of the young star, and perhaps sensing a kindred, underdog spirit, Cole scooped him up to appear in his latest ad for his Dreamer brand. Produced by Pomp&Clout and directed by Scott Lazer and J. Cole, “The Audacity II” simply features Enmanuel dribbling the ball in front of the camera, changing up the rhythm, tempo, and direction in a drill meant to display his focus and stamina as Cole narrates.

I got to keep it 100 with you. They don’t think you can do it. They look at you and all they see is a man standing in front of a mountain that’s too big to scare. But I believe in you. Sh*t you made me a believer cause I see how much you believe in yourself. Why else would you work this hard? Sh*t, I ain’t gonna lie, they surprised you made it this far. Now, quietly in the back of their minds, there’s a tiny thought that wonders how far you can actually go with this. And I know something they don’t know. That the answer to that question, my boy… is up to you.

Cole could very well have been speaking to himself. A long-shot to play pro ball at 36 years old, Cole was able to parlay his lifetime hoop dream into a role in the Basketball Africa League, where he played three games during the inaugural 2021 season.

Myles Turner And Detroit Rapper BabyTron Shook Hands On A $100,000 Bet

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Indiana Pacers forward/center Myles Turner hasn’t played in an NBA game since the middle of last month due to a stress reaction in his left foot. He was set to be re-evaluated two weeks after the injury, but it remains to be seen if his next game will be in a Pacers jersey. That’s because his name has come up multiple times in trade rumors. As we wait to see what happens with him, Turner used some of his recovery time to make a giant, $100,000 bet.

Turner was joking with people on Twitter when rising Detroit rapper BabyTron stepped in to throw a jab at him. “ARE YOU EVER GONNA MAKE THE ALL STAR TEAM @Original_Turner,” BabyTron wrote. Turner issued his response, but not without checking out some of BabyTron’s music. “@_babytron No [cap] i have no idea who you are but I just listened and you ain’t bad… wager sumn,” Turner wrote. “I make an all star team or you get a billboard top 10 single.” He then placed his wager for the bet, writing, “Put 100 k onnit [handshake emoji].”

BabyTron seemed quite excited to make the bet as he eagerly replied, “ITS ON [handshake emoji].” As for BabyTron’s rap career, he’s quite the active artist, having released four projects in 2021: Lewis & Clark, Dookie Brothers 2, Luka Tronic, and Bin Reaper 2.

Fred VanVleet Was Congratulated By Drake Courtside After Being Named An All-Star

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The NBA announced its reserves for the 2022 All-Star Game on Thursday evening and, while there is always talk of “snubs” and what went wrong with the selections, it is also a time for celebration. For Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet, that was very much the case, as the 27-year-old earned his first selection, earning the nod after a stellar first half of the 2021-22 season. The Raptors were set to take the floor for a home game just as the All-Star picks came down, meaning he had to focus on the task at hand, but that didn’t stop Drake from congratulating VanVleet before tipoff.

Even with fans limited, or even non-existent, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Drake has been present in support of the Raptors, and that continues here. The timing also worked quite well, as the game tipped off just moments after the official announcement, and VanVleet (due to alphabetical order) was the last player named by TNT.

In addition to the franchise’s most prominent fan showing love, the Raptors have unleashed a full-fledged campaign for VanVleet, all the way down to a “Freddie All-Star” moniker on the team’s local broadcast. VanVleet has clearly earned the All-Star nod with his play, though, averaging 21.5 points and 7.0 assists per game with impressive defense and three-point shooting (39.1 percent). It is always fun to see a first-time selection rewarded, and VanVleet received quite the congratulatory welcome here.

Grizzlies Minority Owner Justin Timberlake Broke His Social Media Hiatus To Promote Ja Morant’s All-Star Campaign

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In his third season, Memphis Grizzies guard Ja Morant has risen to full-fledged stardom. Averaging 24.7 points, 6.7 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals on 57.5 percent true shooting, he seems en route to his first career All-Star berth. He’s been awesome and is vital to the Grizzlies’ 28-14 record that sees them just a game back of the three seed out West.

Last week, when initial returns on All-Star votes were released, Morant sat third among West guards, about 118,000 votes behind Luka Doncic for a starting spot. So, on Tuesday, Grizzlies minority owner Justin Timberlake ended his self-imposed social media hiatus to advocate for the high-flying playmaker’s All-Star campaign.

Fan votes compose just half of the criteria for selecting All-Star starters, but Timberlake’s efforts surely won’t hurt. Stephen Curry has nearly two million more votes than Doncic and Morant, while Klay Thompson is fourth, more than 300,00 votes behind Morant. Among fans, it seems like a two-man race between Doncic and Morant to join Curry as a starter.

Morant and the Grizzlies are riding an eight-game winning streak and have the NBA’s fifth-best record this season. They’ll have a chance to make it nine in a row and add another layer to Morant’s All-Star hopes when they welcome Curry’s Golden State Warriors to town Tuesday evening.

Shaq Is A Budding EDM Superstar And Just Dropped ‘Welcome To The Playhouse’ With Steve Aoki

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As Shaq gears up for his ridiculous — and quite frankly, very awesome-sounding — “Shaq’s Fun House” Super Bowl weekend party with Diplo, Lil Wayne, and bottomless Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles, he’s also adding to his EDM repertoire. Through his DJ Diesel moniker, the NBA legend has been playing gigs and festivals and collaborating with electronic stars, but none are bigger than what he just pulled off with Steve Aoki.

On “Welcome To The Playhouse,” Shaq… pardon, DJ Diesel and Steve Aoki have put down a banging trap/dubstep “gametime anthem.” The two have a real buddy comedy vibe brewing and have been friends since Shaq first saw Aoki play at TomorrowWorld in 2014. The following year, Shaq played the festival for the first time as DJ Diesel. Then in 2020, Aoki’s label, Dim Mak, released the DJ Diesel track “Ultimate.” Of this latest track, Aoki spoke on how it’s been a long time coming in a statement:

“SHAQ and I have been wanting to collaborate on a track together for a while now, but it wasn’t until he came over to Aoki’s Playhouse one day that we finally found the inspiration for our collab. We hopped into the studio and the track just came together.”

Shaq echoed the vibe in his own words:

“Working with Steve on ‘Welcome to the Playhouse’ was a blast. We went back and forth for hours together in his studio and eventually ended up with one of my favorite DIESEL releases to date. WELCOME TO THE PLAYHOUSE!”

Listen to “Welcome To The Playhouse” and watch the animated video above.

LeBron James Trolls His Friends Maverick Carter And Rich Paul For Being Adele And Jay-Z’s Chargers Game ‘Plus-Ones’

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There was quite a stir on the internet when British singer Adele “debuted” her new beau Rich Paul after months of low-key “hanging out” (as he put it in an interview in The New Yorker in May), with fans flabbergasted (or outright confused, for the singer’s fans who don’t watch the sportsball) by the seemingly unlikely pairing. Paul, of course, is the agent of NBA superstar LeBron James, who it turns out isn’t above teasing his friend’s PDA with the “Easy On Me” singer, as he did on Twitter last night during the Thursday night football game between the Los Angeles Chargers (still feels weird to type) and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Adele, Paul, and LeBron’s other right-hand man Maverick Carter were all caught on the broadcast along with James’ mentor and favorite rapper Jay-Z, and he couldn’t resist taking the opportunity to troll his friends for being less famous than their companions. “Who the heck are Jay-Z and Adele’s +1s????” he tweeted, adding a monocle emoji for extra effect.

Of course, Mav and Rich are likely used to drawing just a little less attention after growing up with LeBron in Cleveland and helping to manage his career since he was drafted straight out of high school in 2003. Nearly 20 years later, it seems they’re as tight as ever — and enjoying the benefits of it, hanging out not just with LeBron, but with two of the biggest names in entertainment as well.

Oh, and the Chargers lost. Sigh.

Fans Couldn’t Help Roasting Jacquees’ Dramatic Rendition Of The National Anthem At A Recent Lakers Game

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As Vince Staples once said (to the tune of 135,00 retweets and 258,000 likes), “The national anthem don’t even slap.”

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Over the years, various efforts to rectify this state of affairs have met with mixed results — Marvin Gaye’s rendition at the 1983 NBA All-Star game came close, Fergie’s effort at the 2018 All-Star, not so much — but the fact remains that the “Star-Spangled Banner” is kind of a dud, extolling virtues that the nation still hasn’t come within waving distance of since its writing.

That hasn’t stopped folks from trying, though; the latest was Atlanta R&B singer Jacquees, whose insistence that he’s the “king of R&B” over the past few years (he even named his 2019 album King Of R&B) has already made him subject to pushback and ridicule. Ahead of the recent NBA game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors, Jacquees opted for a laid-back rendition marked by his signature melisma and vibrato — i.e., “vocal runs” and that warbling quality singers’ voices sometimes have.

A tweet capturing the video of him singing the national anthem has gone viral on Twitter as folks debate his performance choices comparing it to the aforementioned Fergie debacle as well as Carl Lewis’ 1993 miss at another NBA game. Basically, the consensus is that Jacquees did way too much, but somehow also still not nearly enough to save that dreadful song from its built-in limitations. Jacquees himself was less than amused at the response, posting an apparent response of his own:

Seriously, would it kill anyone for us to update the national anthem? Like five major musical genres have been invented since America’s inception, and literally, any of them would save countless future generations from suffering this sort of embarrassment. Check out the responses to Jacquees’ performance below.

An Older Couple Sitting Courtside Next To Drake Had No Idea Who He Was

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Drake is a notorious presence courtside at NBA games. While often in Toronto, the part owner of the Raptors often also shows up to big games outside of The Six. But last night, he was slumming it, so to speak, at the Oklahoma City Thunder versus Houston Rockets game in OKC. Folks were understandably perplexed as to why Drizzy would show up to see two cellar-dwellers play early in the season, but he was presumably there to show love to fellow Toronto native Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder. SGA heeded the call and the point guard dropped a cool 39 points in front of the rapper, albeit in a loss. But the big story of this game was the cute older couple that was sitting courtside next to Drake and had no idea who he was.

In a hilarious exchange during a break in play, the arena jumbotron cameras seemed to pan over to Drake. When the couple sitting next to him noticed that they were in the outskirts of the frame on the giant video board, hilarity ensued.

The gentleman taps Drake (who was playing it cool for the camera) on the shoulder and says “Hey man!” to get his attention and his wife leans over and jokingly tells Drake to “Smile!” for the camera. The three break out in laughter and the affable Drake tells the man that the cameras were for him. They shared a laugh and then Rumble, the Thunder’s mascot, came over to shake Drake’s hand. Drake later posted a selfie with the couple on his Instagram story with the caption “My new parents.” Ignorance really is bliss sometimes.