The NBA and HipHop have long enjoyed a symbiotic relationship with players and rappers often sharing the spotlight, endorsements, and sometimes, heated rivalries. From Shaquille O’Neal’s platinum records to Damian Lillard’s lyrical prowess as Dame D.O.L.L.A., the crossover between court and studio is well-established. However, this crossover hasn’t always been smooth sailing. Remember when Jay-Z and DeShawn Stevenson traded barbs, dragging LeBron James into their feud? Or the time Kobe Bryant’s rap aspirations led to a short-lived beef with Shaq? Now another big revelation has been made by a rapper regarding the basketball GOAT, Michael Jordan.

In a candid interview with Shannon Sharpe on his ‘Club Shay Shay’ podcast, Fat Joe unveiled a story that has left the listeners stunned. According to the Bronx-born rapper, he was on the verge of securing a $20 million deal with Air Jordan but that didn’t happen because of an incident. “I don’t know if it was 20 million, but I was designing it with Michael Jordan himself… I came to Vegas, I came all over, and right before we was about to finalize the deal, we had that beef on the MTV Awards, where me and 50 went at each other live on the MTV Awards,” said Joe during the podcast.

A beef on National TV is quite a big thing and if someone involved in the beef goes to sign a deal with a brand it would have been harmful to the brand’s reputation. Jordan being in the market for so many years knew what signing a deal with Fat Joe would lead to so the Bulls legend had taken a quick step. “Then I got a phone call the next day, and I forget, I was in Jamaica, and it was like, yo, Big Joe, because Michael Jordan called me Big Joe. He called me Big Joe. He said, Big Joe, I don’t like the controversy and this and maybe in the future, this, this, that, and I was right there. And you know, rap beef f***ed up a lot of my money,” Joe revealed the broken deal during the podcast.

So what was the feud about? The rapper in his memoir ‘The Book of Jose’ explained the whole incident in detail. It was during the 2005 MTV Awards when Joe was about to present an award to Missy Elliott but was intimidated by the attitude of 50 Cent. According to the rapper, 50 Cent was constantly giving him signs for a fight throughout the event and he lost his cool when Cent took it a bit far. “Then 50 actually came onstage for a few seconds. He stood several feet away from me. I was saying to myself, ‘Okay, we’re about to fight. We’re about to get it on right here at the VMAs,” wrote Fat Joe in his book.

Had the Bronx rapper clinched the deal, he would have become the first artist, long before Travis Scott to become the first rapper and non-rapper to get his own signature shoe with the Brand. Even the host of the show was quick to point this out. “So you’re about to be Travis Scott before Travis Scott?” inquired Shannon Sharpe. After Nike had signed the Air Jordan deal with MJ in 1984, there have been numerous instances of celebrities rocking the Jordan shoes that have uplifted its status, and given Jordan’s perfect business mindset, he wanted to keep it that way.

As the lines between sports, music, and business continue to blur, stories like Fat Joe’s will likely become more common. The incident raises questions about the future of brand collaborations and the criteria used to evaluate potential partnerships. While this revelation might be new to the NBA community, there was another big incident in the NBA in which Fat Joe was involved.

The most anticipated game in the NBA that didn’t happen

As mentioned before, the worlds of basketball and hip-hop clashed at different moments. But in 2003 it was going to be a legendary one. Why? Two rappers Fat Joe and Jay-Z decided to take their rap battles out of the studio to the Holcombe Rucker Playground in Harlem.

However, there was another motive behind this clash. Jay-Z wanted to promote his newly launched shoe line the ‘S. Carter’ and also his Blueprint albums. Winning the game would have resulted in tremendous fame for Jay-Z. Moreover, the contenders of the match were also as powerful as they could get. Jay-Z’s team consisted of the players Sebastian Telfair, Jamal Crawford, LeBron James, Lamar Odom, and Shaquille O’Neal. On the other hand, Joe’s team which was known as ‘TEAM TERROR SQUAD’ consisted of the players Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, Carmelo Anthony, Jermaine O’Neal, and Yao Ming.

While the stage was set, unfortunately, the game never happened. With thousands of fans in attendance at 6 p.m., the country experienced its worst blackouts since 1977. Although Jay-Z tried to help begin the game by casting lights from the cars present at the park, the police ultimately stopped them. While the Jay-Z vs. Fat Joe basketball game may not have happened, it serves as a reminder of the unique and often unexpected connections between music and sports.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger