The tragic loss of famous Migos rapper Takeoff hit the NBA community hard this past week. The connection the two-time Grammy Award nominee shared with the NBA was unique, unlike any other hip-hop artist has had with the league.
With Takeoff’s and his bandmates, Quavo and Offset’s hometown ties to the state of Georgia, they are famously known for being featured throughout NBA All-Star Weekend and the occasional Atlanta Hawks game. The three, especially Takeoff, have touched the lives of many, especially Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.
During Sunday afternoon’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, James decided to pay tribute to Takeoff before and after the game by wearing a suit that the Migos rapper had worn before. James, who has been a fan of Takeoff and the Migos for a while, took the loss to heart and even made him his profile picture on Instagram.
During Sunday afternoon’s postgame interview when James was asked about his gameday suit being a tribute to Takeoff, the four-time NBA champion had his chance to shed light on what Takeoff meant to others, especially the kid from Akron.
“I’ve been listening to those guys for so long”, James said. “I’ve been listening to those guys during my first year with the Heat in 2010. You can ask anyone of my teammates back then, and they had no idea who Migos was. They were like cursing me out when I would play them in the weight room or throughout the locker room. I was like, I’m telling you these guys are next, I am letting you know right now, and they just like turn this off I don’t want to hear this. And just fast forward, knowing Takeoff personally, and I send my condolences to Quavo and the family, and the whole QC family and everybody. It’s just another hit for our community and the Black community. There was like three people outside your household that you could look up to for inspiration like athletes, there’s musicians, and there’s – unfortunately growing up is the neighborhood dope boy that you look for inspiration. That’s the unfortunate part.
“But, they drove nice cars and wore nice clothes and things of that nature. So for us to lose another one – it just seems like every time we get a good moment we lose another one. Like I said, my condolences goes out to his family, to the whole Hip-Hop community, music community and anybody who had any relationship with him or listened to his music. Literally if he was in here, you guys wouldn’t know he was in here. He is the most quiet, chill, in the back, and no problems type of guy. It’s just another senseless act of gun violence, that’s been the topic of conversations over the past few years. He’s in a better place. He’s looking over his community back in Georgia and the Hip-Hop community and things of that nature. Just paying my respects to someone I really really love and admire. He was only 28-years-old. Rest in paradise.”
As James and the rest of the Lakers look to battle through their early season adversity, they gain new motivation to continue to push the envelope and stand for what Takeoff stood for through his music and what he did for the hip-hop and Black community.
James responds to Kyrie Irving controversy
The Kyrie Irving controversy around his deleted antisemitic Tweet has caused many people around the world to demand a punishment and apology.
One of those people who responded to Irving’s situation is none other than his former teammate on the Cleveland Cavaliers in LeBron James. The four-time NBA champion never hesitates to speak his mind on social issues and his comments on Irving’s hate-speech were no different.
James kept it classy by stating that he does not condone hate of any kind. James also clarified that he believes Irving is his own man and he hopes he can become a better person out of this predicament.
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