The elite class of athletes and musicians share much in common -- wealth, fame, a central role in popular culture. So it should not come as a surprise that there is, generally speaking, a great mutual respect between rappers and athletes. Sometimes this respect engenders friendship. Sometimes it engenders rappers and athletes throwing each other alley-oops... on and off the court.
From Lebron James & Jay Z to JR Smith and Lil Wayne, click through the galleries to learn about 10 notable rapper-athlete bromances.
Lou Williams & Meek Mill
Reigning Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams is regarded by some as the best rapper in the NBA. He embraced the Philly rap scene during his seven seasons playing for the 76ers. His bond with Meek Mill was forged in the studio as the two linked up for noted bangers "I Want It All" and "Hustle Hard" remix (check out both below). On one occasion, Meek handed out hundreds of winter coats, gloves, and hats on behalf of Lou Will's charitable foundation. That he rejected Drake's attempts at friendship during his time in Toronto is a testament to his respect for ol' Meek.
Lol. Drake literally didn't score not one of my points last year homie https://t.co/jXgvtYXIqA
Shaq & Master P
Before they were both worth hundreds of millions of dollars, Shaq and Master P got together for P's 1997 music video “Make ‘Em Say Uhh!” P presented Shaq with "Athlete of the Year" at the 1999 Source Hip Hop Awards.
Earlier in 2016, they had a conversation on Shaq's podcast to celebrate their immense wealth and discuss P's assertion that he could defeat Kobe Bryant in a game of 1 v. 1.
Darrelle Revis & Mac Miller
Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Revis helped jump start Miller's career when he discovered his music and showed it to his agent, Neil Schwartz, who then landed Miller a meet-and-greet with Jive exec Barry Weiss. Miller thanked Revis for being the industry plug by inviting him to rap on his 2010 song "Friday Night Lights." "I got this crazy kinda feeling Mac/ I'm in the Burg and the spotlight's on my back," he rapped (under the pseudonym "Mr. Manhattan"). He later pranked Revis on an episode of MTV Punk'd.
Bryce Harper & Wale
This DC bromance blossomed in 2012, when Harper and Wale went on a man-date -- shoe shopping followed by local staple Ben's Chili Bowl. Wale referenced Harper in his 2012 song "Change Up" ("W's on my mind, peep what I'm getting at/ Attire proper, Bryce Harper, though slightly darker") and then dedicated an entire song to Harper after he won the 2015 NL MVP.
"Bryce Harper, we related," Wale told TMZ. "That's my cousin... Bryce Harper is the man."
Kicked it wit the homie @Bharper3407 today .. Talked sneaks, Nats, hiphop , rg3 .. And my pitching skills! Ha
Bryce Harper at Ben's Chili Bowl pic.twitter.com/efEs11AW
Everybody go out and get the new @Wale mixtape Folarin! He's a beast on it! #FOLARIN #DCorNothing
Bubba Watson & Lecrae
Christian rapper Lecrae is friendly with dozens of athletes from many sports. When asked which athletes he was the closest with during an interview with ESPN, Watson was the first name he mentioned. "Bubba Watson and I are pretty close," he said. "We hang out from time to time, and he comes to Atlanta, where I live, and I go out to Phoenix, where he lives."
Watson brought up Lecrae following his win at the 2014 Masters. "Lecrae said it the best," he said. "He doesn't want to be a celebrity. He doesn't want to be a superstar. He just wants to be the middle man for you to see God through him."
Lecrae has been spotted at Bubba's Bash, the annual charity event hosted by the Bubba Watson Foundation and appears to have inspired Bubba to pursue a rap career of his own... check out his trap banger below. Bars or nah?
JR Smith & Lil Wayne
In 2010, Lil Wayne was convicted of gun charges and sentenced to one year in prison. On his last night of freedom, Lil Wayne opened his laptop and started a web broadcast on Ustream to thank his fans. Six minutes into the stream, he received a phone call. It was JR Smith, calling to wish him the best. Tunechi responded in earnest, encouraging Smith to "keep dunking" on his enemies.
Fast forward six years -- Wayne sits alongside 2 Chainz for a segment on ESPN's Highly Questionable to promote their new album Colligrove. He tells the story from the 2007 NBA All-Star weekend in which he and Smith unwittingly had coital relations with the same girl on the same night.
“Now, [the woman] told me to come over. OK, she was there with a female friend,” Wayne recalled. “So she told [JR] that the female friend was still there at that hotel but she had to relocate to another one. So I was there in the room that night, and so, all of a sudden, we in the bedroom, too, and all of a sudden, we hear the bedroom door open, and me and the female like, ‘Who is coming through the door?’ Her female friend was in the living room, so we were like, ‘What is she trying to get in the room for?’ So who comes through the door? J.R. Smith with his wifebeater on.”
Lebron James & Jay Z
All you need to know about LeBron and Jay Z's friendship is that they have a secret handshake. Jay Z curried favor with LeBron on his 2008 remix of Too Short's "Blow the Whistle" by referring to himself as the "rap LeBron James" and throwing extensive shade in the direction of DeShawn Stevenson, who had called LeBron overrated. "Who the fuck overrated?" Hov raps. "If anything they underpaid him!"
Asamoah Gyan & Castro
Gyan, aka the guy who knocked the United States out of the 2010 World Cup, was a friend and frequent musical collaborator of Ghanian Afrobeat star Castro. One day in 2014, Castro disappeared while jet skiing with Gyan's family on the coast of Ghana. He was presumed drowned, but in the ensuing media frenzy, Gyan was accused of using Castro for a ritual sacrifice. Gyan had this to say:
"In our painful silence, we have been totally dismayed by the fact that the platform was provided for the peddling of these wild and ludicrous allegations and rumours against us. Those to whom the platform was provided offered no evidence whatsoever to back their statements. And indeed, the allegation of spiritual sacrifice can by no stretch of the imagination be propped up."
Deion Sanders & MC Hammer
Two of the biggest stars of the mid-'90s, Sanders and Hammer recorded a veritable banger called "Straight to My Feet." Sanders would later appear in a couple of Hammer's videos, "2 Legit to Quit" and "Pumps and a Bump." Primetime was a victim of MC Hammer's legendary financial woes -- at one point, the "U Can't Touch This" rapper owed him $500,000.
Drake & Everybody
We've already discussed Drake's weakness for befriending NBA players at length. His penchant for athletes is not limited to basketball.
Soccer star Mario Balotelli dedicated a goal to Drake in 2013. Johnny Manziel got the OVO logo tatted on his wrist; according to Drake, they are a "duo." And now Odell Beckham Jr has taken up residence in the Drizzy mansion. Their bromance began during a softball game at Drake's Houston Appreciation Weekend -- as Odell says, it was "the start of a friendship that'll carry through a lifetime."