Like most literature, rap is about putting things into perspective with metaphors, allusions, hyperboles, similes, etc. The best rappers find ways to reference athletes, which sports fans always love.
To that end, I've compiled a massive list of what I believe are the best lyrics that reference NBA players. Of course, "Best" is a very vague term, but this is how I somewhat broke it down:
1. The player reference (An obscure player makes it significantly better)
2. The context.
3. The rhyme(s).
Be sure to tweet at me (@BeardedSchotz) in disgust with the lyrics you think I missed.
P.S. Action Bronson could really have his own article.
WARNING: Some YouTube videos feature explicit content, and may not be safe for work.
M.V.P. by Big L
And everytime I'm jammed I always find a loophole
I got a crime record longer than Manute Bol
Steve Birko (Stir It Up) by A Tribe Called Quest (Phife)
Hip hop scholar since being knee high to a duck
The height of Muggsy Bogues, complexion of a hockey puck
Gimme The Loot by The Notorious B.I.G
I'm slamming n****s like Shaquille, s**t is real
When it's time to eat a meal, I rob and steal
Get It Together by Beastie Boys ft. Q-Tip (Mike D)
See, I've got heart like John Starks
Hitting mad sparks
Pass me the mic and I'll be rockin' the whole park
Mr. Songwriter by Action Bronson
And when we sitting down to dine at least there's two course swimming
Probably calamari, my young shooter I call him Gallinari
Still serve the Knicks, nibbles of parmigiana
Basketball by Kurtis Blow
Basketball is my favorite sport
I like the way they dribble up and down the court
Just like I'm the king on the microphone, so is Dr. J and Moses Malone
Tell me, were you in the joint
The night Wilt scored 100 points?
Or when Celtics won titles back-to-back
And didn't give nobody no kind of slack?
Or when Dr. J shook the whole damn team
With moves that came right out of a dream?
Or when Willis Reed stood so tall
Playing D with desire? It's basketball!
Amuse Bouche by Action Bronson
Shave the points off the game call it Blue chips
This ain't Shaq an penny action squeeze the mac elevy
Y.O.U. by Method Man
Rippin' these compositions, scrippin' them paper-written
Hold 'em and hit 'n stickin', ballin' like Scottie Pippen
Triumph by Wu-Tang Clan (Raekwon)
Max mostly, undivided then slide in sickening
Guaranteed made 'em jump like Rod Strickland
Holocaust (Silkworm) by RZA
With all that tough talk, I drop bombs like Mookie Blaylock
From the outside or the inside, create intense rides
Meteor Hammer by Ghostface Killa ft. Termanology & Action Bronson (Action Bronson)
You f***ing with a hornet's nest
Old shooters in the corner like Hornacek
Young boys that be handling the rock
Chris Paul dish off, hammer in the sock
Brooklyn Girls by Charles Hamilton
Nah I ain't cocky I'm just stating the obvious
H-O the boss and I'm making his pockets rich
Hate it or not I am great and about to get greater
Hit the Peja like I play with Stojakovic
Jam Session by Heavy D ft. Tru Kula & The Notorious B.I.G. (The Notorious B.I.G.)
Not even Stan the man could withstand the lyrical punch
You nibble on my double dribble or alley-oop and monster dunk.
Dig in the trunk Mark Jackson even Bill Paxton
Give me my props at the lyrical waxing
I'm stripping like Scottie Pippen giving the serious butt kicking
Breaking bones like Karl Malone, yeah I'm flippin'
Or Isaiah, say ya prayer when I step inta your lair
Leave the lane clear; I'm welfare like Lambier
One in the chamber like Chambers
Gettin' that close range like Danny Ainge nobody is stranger
Rebounding, Outstanding, no one surrounding
I'm screwing and doing like I was Ewing
The only one soaring and scoring is Jordan
He musta had his Wheaties this morning!
The Infamous Date Rape by A Tribe Called Quest (Phife)
Runnin mad games as if your name was Scott Skiles
Or better yet Magic or even Karl Malone
Regardless who it is, your aim is to bone
Drop It Like It's Hot (Remix) by Snoop Dogg ft. Jay Z & Pharell (Pharell)
I'm Ron Artest, laying down to your garbage
While my n****s in the street pushing s**t like Ben Wallace
Heart Of A Champion by Nelly
I guess he's back 'urr derrty, STL derby
I'm like Magic to Kareem, mayne you tell me I ain't Worthy
I'm the first pick, the first round, signing bonus profound
Playin for his hometown, reppin for the home ground
And gettin Bucks like Michael Redd, tell 'em again
I gets Bucks like Michael Redd, heard what I said?
Can't stop me from scorin so they results are just hackin
So there's, three of us now - me, A.I. and Shaq'n
Encore by Jay Z
When I come back like Jordan
Wearing the 4-5, it ain't to play games with you
It's to aim at you, probably maim you
If I owe you I'm blowin' you to smithereens
Auntie Maria's Crib (The Neapolitan Remix) by Nitty Scott ft. Action Bronson & The Kid Daytona (Action Bronson)
Drop a little ashes on the thigh muscle
I'm the doobie scholar
Old foreign white shooters, Tom Gugliotta
2 piece like Chris Childs did to Kobe
Catch me in the corner store, quarters for Shinobi
Ball court, I’m NB
Up in Auntie's house, chillin’ with the family
Baby Phife's Return by A Tribe Called Quest (Phife)
F**k around and have your heart, like Jordan had Starks'
While you playin hokey pokey, there's no time to be dokey
Cuz I come out to play every night like Charles Oakley
Back Like That (Remix) by Ghostface Killa ft. Kanye West & Ne-yo (Kanye West)
We at the spot to chill, where the food get grilled
She ordered the Kobe beef like Shaquille O'Neal
Second I walked in, the whole room got still
I don't know how to put this, but I'm kind of a big deal
I'm Not You by Clips (Jadakiss)
Prolly think I won't murder you the way I smile
But I'mma take a lot of shots, A.I. style
The Symbol by Action Bronson
Your boy is ill with the phonics
Since Gary Payton had the pill for the Sonics
Ya'll Tripping by Michael Christmas
So shout to Jon Tanners, that's the John Stock assist
Use the Gary Payton fore you get the Magic on your s**t
Gateway to Wizardry by Action Bronson
Me and Mildred eating like a pilgrim
Huh, yo Tommy Lasorda
Dodge bullets, dive into the water
True lies, diamonds at the porter
Shoot like Terry Porter, pimpin' with your Asian daughter
Mama Told Me by Wale
A hundred for a deal they made a hundred on the song
N***a I'm a hundred miles far
I'm feelin' Chris Childs, you lookin' like Kobe Bryant jaw
My Life by The Game
Got a Chris Paul mind state, I'm never out of bounds
My life used to be empty like a glock without a round
Now my life full, like a chopper with a thousand rounds
Stay Fly by Three 6 Mafia
You ain't met no dude spit it cold as me
The bag of kush cost 650, have a n***a who smoke Reggie Miller
Coughin and chockin constantly
Black Boy Fly by Kendrick Lamar
I used to be jealous of Arron Afflalo
He was the one to follow
He was the only leader foreseeing brighter tomorrows
He would live in the gym
We was living in sorrow
Ronald Regan Era (His Evils) by Kendrick Lamar
Granny said when I'm old enough, I'll be sure to be all I can be
You n****s Marcus Camby, washed up
Crazy In Love by Beyonce ft. Jay Z
Stick bony, but the pockets is fat like Tony Soprano (oh no)
The ROC handle like Van Exel
I shake phonies man you can't get next to
Barry Sanders by Wale
Man, you Olowokandi I'm just being Pacific
I'm just bein' prolific, right now don't need no Mrs
I got a rack of Trojans, no ring, my Lane Tiffin
Now Jordan III my shoe, Double M G my crew
When you do it big as Manute you make it seem minute
Ricky Moore Flightposite, Mike Bibby blue Foams
Interscope feeling like Charlotte when they traded Kobe you know?
But I let it go, Rozay finna re-up
He got himself a Kobe and they stuck with Vlade Divac
Put Your Hands Up by Jadakiss
And y'all scared I can tell
That I'mma get Bucks like Milwaukee, cause like Sam, I ca' sell
Pump It Up (Remix) by Joe Budden ft. Jay Z
(Jay Z)
Worry I'm not the Mike Jordan of the mic recording
It's Hovi baby you Kobe, maybe Tracy McGrady
Matter fact you a Harold Miner, J.R. Rider
Washed up on marijuana
Even worse, you a Pervis Ellis
You worthless fella
You ain't no athlete, you Shawn Bradley
(Joe Budden)
I ain't Kobe or Tracy, Jay-Z, JB merk
Joey the future I’m more like Dirk
Anybody buyin respect me
Try and wet me
Y’all dudes will never make it
Y'all a Tyus Edney
I’m a standout like Yao Ming I’m what's sparkin now
Like fall back Shaq I’m startin now
Boys poppin it toys poppin spit
I’m not from round these parts I’m Stojakovic
Never Change by Jay Z
That's what you promised me, since the Bomber League
Along with, if we stay strong
We can get paper longer than Pippen's arms
Compliments To The Chefs by Action Bronson ft. Lauriana Mae (Action Bronson)
Right seat sittin', left hand shiftin'
You know that every team needs a Paxson and a Pippen
From the Ground Up by Crown Order ft. Action Bronson (Action Bronson)
Dip and hide, I treat this s**t with pride
I see the whole entire floor got the Pippen eyes
Jingling by The Cool Kids
Motorcity technically Radsheed Wallace
Then move to Chicago for dollars like Ben Wallace
Chum by Earl Sweatshirt
Nothing was f***ing awesome, trying to make it from the bottom of Syd's
Feeling as hard as Vince Carter's knee cartilage is
Deadly Combination by Big L
I'll rock a fella, like Shawn Carter
With more game than Ron Harper
The bomb sparker rapper slash charm robber
I'm Going Out by Mobb Deep
Rap style Smoother than CL, in the K on the DL
Line for line you can detail, choked more n****s than Sprewell
Give Me The Ball by Eminem
My name is Chauncey Billups, I'm kind of like a raunchy Phillips
Screwdriver, my crew's liver when you can't sleep and you're still up
I get the ball and I'm like Rip, you can't get a grip
You probably got stripped, you wanna rumble, no reason to trip
I grab her like Gnarls Barkley holds the mic, your snarls spark me
I smile like Charles Barkley come on I'm hard, guard me
Ain’t booin’, ain’t pursuin’, no lawsuits, I ain’t suin’
I know what I’m doin’, give me the ball and your life is ruined
I'm like Rasheed, I remind me the spirit of Proof
I'm happy and lucky, ballin' and groovin', I'm on the move
Just pass to me, it just so happens to be
That I adapt with this heat so strap in your seat
I got a grasp on this beat, you ain't convinced?
Give it to Tayshaun Prince, we haven't stayed calm since
Leave the ball with delayed palm prints
The Glory by Kanye West
Class back in session so I upped it a grade
Two years Dwayne Wayne became Dwyane Wade
And, Hey
Please don't start me
I'm like Gnarls Barkley meets Charles Barkley
Money Is Reality by 1982 ft. Action Bronson & Termanology (Action Bronson)
F***ing feedback, play me feed back
Before I shoot you, shorty take the charge, Steve Nash
Traction by Boldy James ft. Action Bronson (Action Bronson)
Pull it, leave his body where the Pistons play
Rock a mask like Richard Hamilton
And hit the J
5'8", the city on my back
I'm jumpin' out the gym
And dunkin' it on Shaq
W.T.P. by Eminem
They call me the Stephon Marbury of rap, darlin
Cause as soon as they throw on some R. Kelly I start ballin
103 And Roosy by Action Bronson
Grab a barracuda higher than a parachuter
Pair of shooters Anthony and Harper
Caciocavalli dog I'm sharper than the archer
I'm an artisan down for bi-partisan
Cause everyone getting paid see me with the freshest fade
Charles Oakley gecko belts and deranges
Sky Club by Big KRIT
Becoming one with the sun like a space invader
Another shot just before it I don't need a chaser
Reggie Miller ain't allowed, we don't like the Pacers
When you in my plane hangar
Sum S**t I Wrote by Common
Like Kareem I got the hook up
Brothers look out cause they look up
No Time by Action Bronson
On a California king where the thug lay (that's word to me man)
The joint longer than Mutombo finger
You catch me higher than a Shaq knee
See me swerving side to side like Mutombo finger
Watersports by Action Bronson
Hoop it up, I put myself against your best three
Dunk on Dikembe
If not for minor set backs I would have been paid
Walk with a pimp leg
0-100/The Catch Up by Drake
I been Steph Curry with the shot
Been cookin' with the sauce, Chef Curry with the pot, boy
360 with the wrist, boy
Deserve it by Big Sean
Some girls are the Lebron James of playing mind games
And switch their home team up every single time their mind change
Sixteen by Rick Ross ft. Andre 3000 (Rick Ross)
Floor seat for the Heat, paper that I'm stackin
Better put away a penny for the rainy days
Pick and roll, give and go, f**k a fade away
Living like Scottie Pippen, dribble riddles for vittles
Hola' Hovito by Jay Z
One life to live - notice you get no sequel
So I truly got to live this like my last movie
6 oohie, jewels dripping, big tooly
I ball for real: y'all n****s is Sam Bowie
And with the third pick, I made the earth sick
M.J., him Jay, fade-away, perfect
Long Pinky by Beautiful Lou ft. RiFF RAFF & Action Bronson (Action Bronson)
You gotta pay for my appearance, it will never be on clearance
Clarence Weatherspoon, my boo could boof like ten balloons
Just Some Raps, Nothing To See Here, Move Along by Mac Miller
It's the realness
City of the steel where the films is
Bill s**t, balling like a smaller Josh Childress
I'm in the building, swagger on a million
PENNIES by The Cool Kids
Turn it up, I don't think they hear it enough
Back when Jordans' and a gold chain was livin it up
Up top, I had a hi-top fade wit the high-tops
Watchin my highlight tapes from a skybox
Auburn Hills, Michigan - home of the palace
The place on the map where Isaiah beat Magic
Throwin elbows, had them Rick Mahon habits
Callin shots from the bench and, finger pointin picks
I'm Coach Chuck Daly, a/k/a Daddy Rich
I, meant Chuck Ing-ah-lish, the flicker of the flicks
All net, finger roll, Allan Houston off the pick
Yeaaah, the pick, of the litter with the kicks
Koko B Ware by Shad
Northwest Shawn Kemp Detlef Schrempf steez
Gorilla, raised on strictly Dilla and Thriller
In Britain chill strictly with Prince Phillip and Camilla
Call Skrillex to get your skrill up, in the fourth of Miller's Billups
Worthy of Bird and Reggie Miller
This is vintage Lithuanian, Sabonis' ball
This is "Poet Paul Pierce", this is "Flow Gasol"
"Princeton Offense Pen Game Know-It-All"
You're just a Tim Donaghy ref that's blowing calls
Mike Vick by Action Bronson
Behind the back pass Arvydas Sabonis
Rare intelligence you know I'm smoking weed in diplomas
The One by Prodigy & Alchemist ft. Action Bronson (Action Bronson)
The mo----------r making a drug look like Urkel
Forward shooters like Türkoğlu
Grown Simba by J.Cole
Cause I was broke plus the weed that I would smoke would make it worser
Lord, please let my problems disappear like Ron Mercer
Return Of Simba by J.Cole
Being good is good, that’ll get you Drew Gooden
But me, I want Jordan numbers, LeBron footin’
Can’t guard me, Vince Lombardi, John Wooden
Take My Turn by Termanology ft. Jared Evan & Action Bronson (Action Bronson)
A thousand dollars on the jump shot
Rocking some dress shoes
No shirt on 'em like Bird from the corner
Black And Gold by Wale
I could change a broad's life in about an hour
I turn ducks into bucks- Luke Ridnour
But you would never think if you seen it on TV
DMV what I rep, all GP
I make it rain Shawn Kemp, GP
I make words come alive, GP
I'm The Man by Fabolous ft Red Cafe (Fabolous)
You know how the man do, Coupe is all mad new
Ginobilis, but the truck is on Kobes
German Engineering by Shaz Illyork ft. Action Bronson (Action Bronson)
I'm never rocking jewelry
But I'll step on the court and pop a 3 for a stack
Just call me Tracy Murray
Weston Road Flows by Drake
A lot of people just hit me up when my name is mentioned
Shout out to KD we relate we get the same attention
It's rainin' money, Oklahoma City Thunder
The most successful rapper 35 and under
Black Cloud by Joe Budden
Motivation the "Game" was supplying me it's no longer providing me
Jayson Williams something killed whatever was driving me
Choices by Asher Roth ft. Action Bronson
You f***in' with some scholars
Old Impalas jumpin' like Rasheed Wallace
New God Flow by Kanye West
But the 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
5x8 by Maffew Ragazino ft. Kaimbr, Action Bronson, Homeboy Sandman & Jon Connor (Action Bronson)
Just two degrees from a straight line
Bottles of vintage hanging, clinging from the grapevine
Olives pressed, greenish on the glimmer
Get me on the court, shoot from anywhere like Jimmer
So Sophisticated by Rick Ross ft. Meek Mill (Meek Mill)
S***ing on these haters, ball hard D Waiters
Ever since I got money, e’rybody need favors
Kobe Bryant by Lil Wayne
Kobe doin' work
Two-four on my shirt
He the greatest on the court
And I'm the greatest on the verse
Two-four so nice, my flow so mean
Catch me at the game sitting next to Goldestein
Kobe Bryant Nikes, purple gold strings
Kobe in the game dunkin' on the whole team
Put 'Em In The Grave by Jedi Mind Tricks
They pushing rocks here, in the dead of night
I take my glock and I point guard like Brevin Knight
The Cure by J.Cole
After a few drinks come our realest convos
My handle on my thoughts used to be as ill as Rondo’s
Double Breasted by Action Bronson
Knees like Olden Polynice
My shorty Polynesian don’t make no apologies
Dudley Boyz by Westside Gunn ft. Action Bronson (Westside Gunn)
Kicks too plush, the Public School's nubuck
Grenade launcher lookin' like Manute Bol
Searchin' for loopholes
Stay Schemin' by Rick Ross ft. Drake & French Montana (French Montana)
From the hoopty coupe to that Ghost, dog
Pigeons on the roof like Ghost Dog
Dwight Howard on the post, dog
6 Minutes Of Death by Joe Budden ft. Stack Bundles & Jae Millz (Joe Budden)
Make me put that tool to use
And these n****s that be in the game shaking like Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf
Not Tourrette's, gotta rep my team to the end
For once trust me, you don't wanna start problems
The pound will make you Eddie Curry with a heart problem
Rah! by Lil Wayne ft. Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross & The Game
Smoke in the air like LeBron James
Running this s**t like he Ron Dayne
Had to put this in here. He compares LeBron to Ron Dayne!
If you're still reading Nikki Minaj gives us a Lisa Leslie reference in this song:
Trash talk to em then I put em in a hefty
Running down the court I'm dunkin on em Lisa Leslie
White Iverson by Post Malone
Like they're OT, double OT like I'm KD, smokin' OG
And you know me, in my 2-3s and my gold teeth
B***h I'm smiling, bet you see me from the nosebleeds
I'm the new 3 and I change out to my new 3s
White Iverson
When I started ballin' I was young
You gon' think about me when I'm gone
I need that money like the ring I never won, I won
My options right when I walk in, jump all them Jordans
I'm ballin', money jumpin'
Like I'm Davis from New Orleans
Or b***h I'm Harden, I don't miss nothin'
F**k practice, this s**t just happens, know y'all can't stand it
I have it, I'll never pass it, I work my magic
High average, ball on these bastards, it makes me happy
It's tragic, I make it happen, and all y'all Shaqtin'
All The Way Up (Remix) by Fat Joe & Remy Ma ft. Infa-Red, Jay Z & French Montana
(Fat Joe)
This wasn't me this was God's doing
And this time I won't finger roll, Pat Ewing
Uh, I'm Steph Curry in the clutch
Take a shot of this Royal Elite and go all the way up
HONORABLE MENTION
I Love College by Asher Roth
I am champion, at beer pong
Allen Iverson, Hakeem Olajuwon
NOT HONORABLE MENTION
Summer Girls by LFO
You're the best girl that I ever did see
The great Larry Bird, Jersey 33
When you take a sip, you buzz like a hornet
Billy Shakespeare wrote a whole bunch of sonnets
More NBA:
-- 12 Athletes Who Look Like Pokémon Characters
-- Kyrie Irving FaceTimed Kobe From The Locker Room After Game 7
-- NBA Allegedly Pulling All-Star Game From Charlotte Over Anti-LGBT Bill
-- Follow Zach Schotz on Twitter @BeardedSchotz.
