Rappers Who Can Actually Play Basketball

This past weekend, Lil Baby revealed that he isn’t as athletic as we thought with his poor showing on the basketball court during All-Star Weekend. But he’s not the standard when it comes to rappers who ball, and we’re not talking about spending money. Hip-Hop and the sport of basketball have a very unique relationship. On the one hand, there are good numbers of the pro-ballers who have tried their hand at the art form, only to fall flat on their faces, except if you’re Shaq or Dame Lillard, they’re are pretty good rappers. LeBron James has even suggested that he wants to put together his own album promising that he won’t be rapping on it, and we appreciate him for that. But, when the roles are reversed, it really the skills from the booth don’t always translate to court well, either proving it’s not easy to do either if you’re not a pro.

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With that said, some rappers double as decent basketball players. Now, whether they can compete with the pros is another story, but if they ran with playground and gym regulars, they definitely could hold their own. Hit the gallery below to see the pretty sizeable lists of rappers who can give you a run for your money on the basketball court. — Photo: Stacy Revere / Getty

1. Quavo

We gotta start the list off with Quavo.

The Migos member has some excellent hooping skills, and he put them on full display during this run with Shaq’s son, Shareef O’Neal. He also showed out while playing in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, winning the MVP award in 2018 and dropping 27 points when he came back in 2019. 

2. 2 Chainz

The rapper with many monikers can also add hooper to that long list of names. Before he became Dos Necklaces, 2 Chainz played division 1 college basketball at Alabama State University. So, he’s definitely someone you should definitely be picking first in a pick-up game. 

3. Common

Don’t let his performance in Just Wright fool. Common does have some skills. A regular in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, the “Be” rapper took home the game’s MVP trophy in his hometown of Chicago during NBA All-Star Weekend 2020. 

4. Dave East

Before he became a rapper, Dave East aspired to be a hooper. The East Harlem native hoop dreams really began to take flight while attending high school in Maryland. East has even balled with the likes of Kevin Durant and Michael Beasley. 

5. J. Cole

J. Cole is not only nice with the bars. He’s also a pretty damn good basketball player. The Born Sinner crafter put folks on notice when he flawlessly finished an alley-oop pass from Kevin Hart during the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game. There are countless videos of the North Carolina native shooting in the gym and getting buckets during open runs. 

There were even talks about Cole actually going to the NBA when the Detroit Pistons offer him a chance to try out for the team. He also has one thing everyone on this list doesn’t have, a signature basketball sneaker.

6. Master P

Master P might not be the spring chicken he once was, but back in the day, Percy Miller was literally on an NBA franchise, the Toronto Raptors, living out a dream. Having conquered the music industry, Master P wanted to make em say uggghhhh while dropping highlights against pro-ballers. 

7. The Game

When he’s not menacing other rappers, west coast rapper The Game is a pretty solid basketball player. Look no further than the video above featuring The Documentary crafter getting busy with NBA baller Iman Shumpert during a run at the legendary Drew League.