“You Got To Feed Them”: $160 Million Worth Ice Cube Once Tried Matching His Basketball Skills to NBA Legends Shaquille O’Neal and Magic Johnson

Shaquille O’Neal and Magic Johnson are the names that people who are uninitiated sports fans would also recognize. Hall of Famers, NBA legends, and multiple championships winners are only a few of the many accolades that Shaq and Magic have achieved in their respective careers. While Shaq is known as one of the league’s most dominant players, Magic is arguably the most significant point guard. Ice Cube’s decision to try and match up to the two basketball legends is not just hilarious but commendable.

Ice Cube has remained a lifelong Los Angeles Lakers fan. Therefore, it wasn’t surprising when the rapper named several Lakers legends among his favorite basketball players. During a 2017 interview, the millionaire rapper mentioned that Bill Russell, Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Dr. J, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O’Neal were his favorites.

Ice Cube’s memorable games with Shaquille O’Neal and Magic Johnson

During a 2017 interview with Rohan Nadkarni of Sports Illustrated, Ice Cube revealed that he had once played alongside 15x NBA All-Star Shaquille O’Neal in a pickup game while on tour. Apparently, Diesel was touring with the Fu-Schnickens and while they were in Japan, the Big Aristotle asked his companions if they wanted to shoot some hoops.

“I’m like, ‘What? Play basketball with Shaq?’. We go over to the gym, they have a pro team there. Shaq’s on my team and I’m running point guard. I throw him an alley oop and he dunks it, so I’m like, I’m done, I’m good,” the rapper told SI.

Ice Cube added that he was on the same team as 5x NBA champion Magic Johnson in a celebrity basketball team. Nadkarni then asked the 53-year-old actor/producer if he passed the ball to Shaq and Magic during the times he played with them or showed them that he’s also got some skills.

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“Show them what I could do! You got to feed them, of course. But you want to show them that yo, you ain’t just a rapper. You could ball too. If I was another foot taller, maybe,” Ice Cube replied.

Shaquille O’Neal gets swooned by Ice Cube

Ice Cube is regarded with the same admiration in the music industry as NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal in the sports world. The ‘Lench Mob Records’ founder was formerly a part of a hip-hop group known as N.W.A that later disbanded in 1991. Both Ice Cube and legendary rapper Dr. Dre were part of the group and had released a song called ‘Natural Born Killaz’.

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Over two decades later, in 2022, Ice Cube performed the 1994 single in a concert, hitting fans with a wave of nostalgia. The memorable performance was shared by Shaq on his Instagram account, seemingly remembering the original version with Dr. Dre.