Jay-Z paid tribute to LeBron James ahead of the 2023 NBA All-Star Game. The legendary Los Angeles Lakers star recently passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time scorer. Jay-Z spoke about his "excellence" during a video played for Sunday night's game in Salt Lake City, Utah.
"Being able to perform at a high level for a long period of time, that's excellence," Jay-Z said. "Long after you're gone, people may look at your name and like, 'That's what greatness is. There's not many you can compare LeBron to. A 19-time All-Star, a remarkable feat. The all-time leading scorer, all-time! I mean, what can you say? He's been through many iterations of the game and in each era, he's been the best. 'The Chosen One' and that's it."
Jay-Z's Tribute
Jay-Z added that he's excited to see the rest of the players take the court as well. "The players, they're super excited to play with one another," he said. "The league is in a great place right now. Every team has major stars, amazing, amazing performers."
LeBron James passed Abdul-Jabbar's record earlier this month during a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. At the time, a number of celebrities congratulated James including Drake, Magic Johnson, and more.
James ended up being injured during the All-Star Game after going up for a block attempt early in the second quarter. He finished with 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting and four assists. The status of his finger is unclear at this point, although James says he'll be fine. "I'll be fine. I don't think it's too much to worry about," he said afterward. The Lakers' next game will be Thursday against the Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena. The team is ranked 13th in the Western Conference at 27-32. As for the rest of the All-Star Game, Team Giannis defeated Team LeBron 184-175. Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum was named the Kobe Bryant All-Star Game MVP. He finished with a record-breaking 55-points on 22-for-31 from the field with 10 rebounds and six assists. Post Malone and 21 Savage also performed at the event earlier in the night.
[Via]