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Ice Cube might be best-known for being a rap icon first and the founder of the BIG 3 basketball league second, but he’s also a pretty diehard sports fan, too. In addition to supporting the Raiders in the NFL, the hip hop legend is as invested as anyone in the Los Angeles Lakers, seemingly always attending games and talking about the historic franchise as if it’s the best thing since sliced bread.
Given the 16 NBA championships, the long list of legendary names and the aura that the Lakers bring, Ice Cube knows that it takes a certain kind of player to don the purple and gold. And, while the Lakers retooled their roster over the past couple offseasons by scooping up LeBron James last year and trading for Anthony Davis this summer, two players that didn’t choose the team in that same timeframe were Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
While both Leonard and George were linked to the Lakers over the past year — with George refusing to sign with the team last summer and Leonard opting for the Clippers this summer, while also maneuvering a deal for George — Ice Cube saw an opportunity to take a shot at the two All-Stars.
Talking with Arash Markazi of the Los Angeles Times, Ice Cube wasn’t subtle about calling out Kawhi and Paul George, saying that the pressure of playing for the Lakers might have been too much for them.
“I wish they would have come to the Lakers, but I guess they picked the team that they were more comfortable playing with,” Cube said of Leonard and George. “You got to be special to play for the Lakers. You have to be ready for all that comes with that. Those championship banners and those jerseys are looking down at you when you play for the Lakers, and it’s probably easier to play if you cover those up for some people.”
Well, damn, Ice Cube’s definitely adding gasoline to the fire that’s become the heated rivalry between the Lakers and Clippers. Considering the Clips have always been the “little brother” to the Lakers, the rapper wanted to remind everyone that, although they may be the trendy team today, they have a long way to go to even be mentioned in the same breath as the Lakers.
The NBA season is still a couple months away, but, shit, with the amount of trash talk going on between both L.A. teams right now, it can’t come soon enough.