LeBron James faced backlash from social media critics last week after he was seen holding a vinyl copy of J.Cole’s album “The Fall Off” while the LA Lakers were in Miami to face the Heat.
Critics labeled James as performative for the gesture, but J.Cole came to his defense, explaining that The King was actually doing him a favor.
“That was at the Heat game, and he was bringing his vinyl to the Heat game because I was at the Heat game, and I had asked him if he would meet my kid,” Cole said on the “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast.
“My oldest is getting into basketball, and Bron is his No. 1, and he asked me all season if he could go to a Laker game. … I hit Bron, and he graciously said he would do it. And on his way, he brought ‘The Fall Off’ vinyl; he brought it so I could sign it.”
The rapper went on to thank James and pushed back at critics of the four-time champion, saying they should not jump to conclusions about something they do not fully understand. He also shared that his son was deeply moved by the moment.
“Bro, that s**t was the craziest feeling, … to see your kids meet a superhero, that was my first time doing some s**t like that.”
LeBron James Lists 3 Favorite Rappers
Over the years, social media has evolved into a more toxic space. However, before that shift, it served as a way for fans to connect with their idols.
In October 2013, a fan asked LeBron James about his favorite rapper, and he named three: Jay-Z, Kanye West and Drake.
More recently, following the Kendrick Lamar-Drake feud, James appeared to side with Lamar and has been seen on multiple occasions rapping along and vibing to Lamar’s diss tracks — including during Lakers warmups.
Most notably, he attended Lamar’s Juneteenth concert, “The Pop Out,” where the Compton rapper performed “Not Like Us” five times.
In “Meet the Grahams,” Lamar mentioned James, urging him to keep his family away from Drake. The song warns respected family men to distance themselves from the Toronto rapper, accusing him of being a gambling addict, a body shamer and having “sick thoughts.”
Back in 2018, Drake paid tribute to their friendship with a tattoo of LeBron in his St. Vincent-St. Mary “Fighting Irish” jersey on his left bicep. However, that ink has since been replaced with a new tattoo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
