Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James couldn’t miss out on the Super Bowl that took place at SoFi Stadium last Sunday, cheering on the L.A. Rams from one of the arena’s private suites.
The Rams had to wait 23 years to win the NFL championship again. The 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals marked their first Super Bowl win following the franchise’s return to Los Angeles.
Although James privately supports the Cleveland Browns, the 37-year-old All-Star said he’s always rooted for local teams in every city he’s played during his career. But last Sunday, the four-time NBA championship kept his fingers crossed particularly tightly for Rams wide receiver and his friend Odell Beckham Jr.
“That’s my little brother and I’ve tried to be there for him and be with him and give him any sense of motivation and advice throughout the year and to see him win the Super Bowl was amazing,” James said.
“I also got some other friends on the team too, but Odell was the biggest one out of that. But I’m extremely happy for McVay and Aaron Donald, big fan of Aaron Donald, Von Miller, Jalen Ramsey, and Cooper Kupp so that was big time.”
James added just being a part of the Super Bowl felt special to him. Growing up, the event would lead to some sleepless time after Christmas, the Lakers’ forward said.
“For me as a kid growing up, the Super Bowl and Christmas kind of went hand in hand for me as far as excitement,” he explained.
“I couldn’t sleep the night before Christmas when I was a kid and I couldn’t sleep the night before the Super Bowl. So for me to be in L.A. and they’re hosting at SoFi and me having a suite over there to be able to take my friends and family for us to celebrate the Super Bowl was phenomenal.”
James also said seeing some of the greatest rappers of all-time headline this year’s halftime show gave him “chills” and made him feel proud to witness hip hop being represented on the grandest of stages.
“To Dr. Dre, Snoop, Eminem, 50 Cent, Kendrick, Mary J., that we saw. There was a time NFL wouldn’t even allow rap music to be played inside arenas, or hip-hop music to be played inside arenas,” James said. “Obviously I know we’ve had black artists, we’ve had Prince, Beyonce, Whitney Houston, things of that nature. But to have a performance like that, where Black hip hop artists are performing at the Super Bowl — I had a moment of like chills, a moment of like Black Panther-movie feeling.
“I had a proud moment to be there and seeing hip hop being represented at the highest spectacle of any sport… To have hip hop dominate the Super Bowl was pretty awesome. And it only made it right that Snoop and Dre did that in L.A. It only made it right, and don’t forget about Jay-Z’s influence as well to be able to bring something like that together.
“It was pretty awesome, and to drink Lobos all day from 12-12 was the icing on the cake.”
James suggests organizing a joint championship parade with Rams & Dodgers
After the Rams’ victory, James sent a congratulatory tweet to emphasize the success of Los Angeles sports in recent years. But also, he suggested the Lakers, Rams, and L.A. Dodgers — who triumphed in the World Series two years ago — should organize a joint championship parade with a live concert to cap off the event.
The Lakers didn’t get to celebrate their 2020 NBA title with fans out in the city due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
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