Audiences will witness a plethora of basketball and rap icons featured in the organization’s mini-documentary.
As the 2023-2024 NBA season launched this Tuesday, October 24, the league didn’t miss a beat in celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop. Through a collaboration with NBA on TNT, the league premiered a poignant mini-documentary that not only marks the onset of a new basketball season but also pays tribute to a genre that has been inextricably linked to the sport for decades.
This cinematic tribute, running just under seven minutes, seamlessly weaves together iconic moments from both hip hop and basketball. The documentary features a lineup that reads like a “who’s who” of the hip hop and basketball realms: Lil Wayne, LL Cool J, Carmelo Anthony, T.I., Big Boi, and Quavo, to name a few. Each lends their voice, recounting personal anecdotes and reflecting on the symbiotic relationship between rap and the court.
Check out this clip of Wayne talking about the first time he met King James.
The first time @LilTunechi met @KingJames
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) October 24, 2023pic.twitter.com/nPWo2Ps6vR
But it’s perhaps the words of Kurtis Blow that resonate most deeply. Recollecting the inspiration behind his seminal 1980s track, “Basketball,” the Harlem-born artist shares, “Basketball has been a lifelong passion for me. It needed its own anthem.” Blow’s track, teeming with nods to the sport and its leading figures, arguably laid the groundwork for the enduring fusion of hip hop and basketball.
The documentary serves as a compelling testament to the shared history and cultural exchange between the worlds of hip hop and basketball. As artists have dreamt of slam dunks and players have aspired to drop bars, this intertwined journey unfolds beautifully, reminding fans of the profound ties that bind the court to the stage.
Stream the full documentary here.