The 2024 NBA Finals did not turn out the way some fans wanted it to. According to a report by sports journalist Matt Audilet, fans took to social media in throngs and were united in calling the Mavericks-Celtics series “boring”, with some putting out claims of there being “zero competition” and “garbage” players. These claims once again seemed to have made a return after several members of the NBA fraternity headed out to show their support for rapper Kendrick Lamar. Onlookers attending Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Pop Out and Show’ concert caught a glimpse of LeBron James, DeMar DeRozan, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Coby White at the arena.

With LeBron and Westbrook being longtime rap fans, the duo were seen vibing to the tracks being played out. Seeing how the players seemed to be having more fun at the concert than during the ultimate stage of the NBA, ‘Legionhoops’ on Instagram put out a meme that stated, “This Kendrick concert was better than the NBA Finals”.

Bron has been a longtime friend of both Kendrick Lamar and renowned rapper Drake. A feud between Lamar and Drake has recently been making headlines, with the former making use of his platform to drop diss tracks against his rival. While LeBron’s presence did not mean that he chose Lamar over Drake, he certainly didn’t mind hearing some of the diss tracks during the live concert.

“Drake is resting in the grave rn”- Fans React to Kendrick Lamar’s concert being better than the NBA Finals!

It didn’t take long for the meme to go viral. Soon enough, social media users started descending onto the comments section to share their reactions. One of them came out in support of the 37-year-old rapper’s performance by stating, “Kendrick just stamped his goat status with this one. This gonna be in his biopic fr”. Another affirmed the same belief by saying “kendrick just went 2010 kobe.”

The remark was a reference to how, under the leadership of Kobe Bryant, the Lakers managed to secure the top seed during the 2009-10 season. From that point to the NBA Finals, the player further increased his reputation by setting a playoff record in assists and improving his overall prowess. During Game 7 of the Finals against the Celtics, Kobe looked to take revenge after they defeated his roster two years ago. He helped the Lakers overcome a 13-point deficit in the third quarter and scored 10 of his 23 points in the 4th. Impressed by Lamar’s performance, the commenter believed he certainly deserves to be praised on the same level as the late NBA legend. Furthermore, the remark may have also reminded viewers of how the rapper paid tribute to Kobe during the concert.

Another fan brought attention back to LeBron James’ presence during the concert. He stated “Kendrick like bron in 2016. Rip Drake”. While the previous one was a tribute to Kobe’s prowess, this one sent out flowers to the All-Time Leading Scorer, over his performance eight years ago. During the 2015-16 season, LeBron, who was again playing at the Cavs, helped the franchise record 57 wins during the regular season. During the finals against the Warriors, he and his team initially faltered by giving their rivals a 3-1 lead. However, this fuelled a fire in the scorer, who dropped 30+ points each in two back-to-back games and helped the Cavaliers put up a higher score. The triple-double he secured to his name in Game 7 helped the team win their first and only championship title in history.

One fan proceeded to use his remark to bring the Drake-Kendrick Lamar feud to the forefront. He praised the 37-year-old rapper, despite possibly being on the opposite side of the battle, by stating “being a Drake fan let just say Drake is resting in the grave rn”.

During the ‘Pop Out’ concert, Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan joined Kendrick Lamar on stage as he performed ‘They Not Like Us’. For those who may not be aware, this was the track released just a month ago that took the ultimate shot at Drake by referencing the alleged allegations being made against him. With two members of the NBA fraternity showing their support to Lamar, the sight is not something that Drake would have wanted.

Putting out a response to the meme, one social media user stated that Lamar’s concert may have been better for some, but “not for Celtics fans”. After all, a Championship was the very thing that NBA enthusiasts in Boston had been waiting for since Kevin Garnett and Co. secured the Larry O’Brien trophy back in 2008!

Before leaving, be sure to check out some insights that Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, shared about WNBA star rookies Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.