Jay-Z Once Came to the Rescue for Former NBA Star as Stadium Ejection Loomed

“What role did Jay-Z play in your life?”, former Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Sebastian Telfair was asked in his interview on ‘All The Smoke’ podcast, featuring Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. Most of the stars in the NBA find inspiration from basketball legends like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, etc., but for Telfair, Jay-Z helped him to keep going. The bonding between the two started way back when the famous American rapper sat courtside to support Telfair. Ever since Telfair has benefitted a lot through Jay-Z, but the most iconic moment was when the latter saved him from getting kicked out of an NBA game.

Telfair got into close ties with Jay-Z after the rapper was left impressed with his performance in high school. The 38-year-old was a promising prospect back then. He was even the No.1 fifth grader in the country. Amid all these accomplishments, Telfair considers his bonding with Jay-Z more valuable. Well, the respect was mutual. The rapper had the ex-NBA star’s back too, and it was revealed when the two attended a game courtside.

38-year-old Telfair shared, “Jay, super dope. One night we in Baseline Studios and him and Juan going to the game. I am air hustling and I’m like, ‘I want to go to the game’. And Juan turn to me like, ‘Aight give Bassy [Belfair] my ticket’.” It was Belfair’s lucky day. He and Jay-Z headed to the New York Knicks game where they both witnessed Yao Ming play for the franchise. However, there was a small problem. 

Telfair continued, “So Jay get there, get out the Maybach. I walked with him and s***…So we get to the seats. Yao Ming was playing, so I’m like stuck…And somebody from the Knicks came over and he was like, ‘Jay, we gave you these tickets tonight, so you can’t give Sebastian the tickets, you going to get us in trouble’, and Jay ignored them completely.” Instead of arguing, the music icon decided to settle the problem with cash and just pay for the ticket.

This is how close Jay-Z was to Telfair. All thanks to the 38-year-old’s excellence in high school.

How did Jay-Z turn into a fan of Sebastian Telfair’s game? 

Telfair was a very promising prospect before he entered the NBA. Despite being just 6 feet, he managed to catch the attention of the fans with his lightning-quick speed and smooth finishes around the rim. When we say fans, it also includes celebrities like MLB legend Derek Jeter and Jay-Z, who pulled up courtside to watch Telfair play in high school. However, all this hype around him did not last long after he entered the league. 

Telfair succumbed to the competitiveness in the NBA. Although he played for 10 years in the league, he couldn’t make a mark there. He played for 8 different teams over a decade, and his best year was in 2007-08 for the Wolves. He even featured alongside LeBron James for the ‘Slam’ magazine during high school. But the league was too big for him. Anyhow, it at least allowed him to get close with Jay-Z. That is something Telfair would always be grateful for! 

Telfair has come a long way indeed!

Read More: Sharing Center Stage With Lebron James, Making a Fan Out of Jay-Z and Derek Jeter, Who Was the NBA’s 6’0 Phenom?