For many NBA stalwarts, hip-hop is often their ‘second love’ after basketball. Hoops stars’ love for the art is so profound that players like Shaquille O’Neal and Damian Lillard have successfully ventured into rap music. Though he has not tried his hand at rap, LeBron James too is an ardent admirer of hip-hop music and artists. Videos of him rapping to legendary songs from rappers like Nipsey Hussle and Jay-Z have now become iconic. This week, LeBron James has given a shout-out to a $5 million worth hip-hop icon’s newly released album.

Nine days ago, the aforementioned rapper left LeBron James and a few others bewildered with a candid admission about a 5-time champion. First, let’s see who this veteran rapper is.

Hip-hop star’s latest album praised highly by the King

The Los Angeles Lakers centerpiece often posts lesser-known talent on his IG stories proving that he has got an eye for greatness. Very recently, the four-time champion welcomed Amari Bailey to the NBA with warm words. Often, LeBron reaches out to give respect to non-basketball stars as well.

Just like Bailey, millionaire rapper Michael Santiago Render a.k.a Killer Mike recently got a shout-out from LeBron James. On June 16, Killer Mike – of Run the Jewels’ fame – released his first solo album, Michael. Within its first two weeks, the album has already become a favorite of LeBron James’.

The King took to Instagram and posted a screen grab of Mike’s new album on his IG story. He wrote, “Album to,” and added some fire emojis to the story. LeBron also mentioned Killer Mike’s official handle while praising the record.

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After being surprised by Killer Mike’s album, it was the rapper’s in-person admissions that moved James shortly thereafter.

Killer Mike’s admission about NBA legend stuns LeBron James

During his appearance on the season finale of The Shop: Uninterrupted, Killer Mike went candid on one of his interactions with Kobe Bryant.

Being an ardent fan of the Mamba, Mike was clueless as to whom he should follow after the Mamba’s retirement. As Mike puts it, he raised this concern with Kobe Bryant when he was nearing his last game. Kobe then started to speak about Stephen Curry.

Given Curry’s sleek and slender physique, Mike did not think very highly of him. However, Bryant assured the rapper that Steph is going to work wonders in the game. That’s when the rapper started to watch Steph and the Warriors closely.

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When this admission went viral on the web, a surprised LeBron James shared it on his story. Given Kobe’s prophetic insights, LeBron James had to respect the Mamba’s ability to read the game. Furthermore, James’ recent shout-out to Killer Mike too is unsurprising as it is Mike’s first solo album during his already illustrious career.

Have you listened to Killer Mike’s new album? Do you think LeBron rated it correctly?

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