LeBron James met Jay-Z when he was a high-school student, and 25 years later, the pair of rap and hoop legends remains close, as James was in attendance for all three of Hov’s historic Yankee Stadium shows the weekend of July 10-12.
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Sitting down with Boardroom‘s Rich Kleiman, the future NBA Hall-of-Famer talked about his relationship with Jay during the CNBC Sport x Boardroom Game Plan Summit at Fanatics Fest NYC on Thursday (July 16).
“I was 16 years old the first time I met Jay, met him in Chicago. They were doing a show. He was on tour, met him there, and then not too long after that came to New York,” James began. “But the thing that me and my crew, we just — we really just watched Jay and how they moved and how he moved and it was like a sponge. We didn’t say much. We didn’t ask for much.”
He continued: “We just sat there. And he moved how a person that know who he is and what he brings to the table is supposed to move, and from the business side, to the way he walked, to the way he talked, to the way he greeted people. It was just an aura about him and a professionalism in his respective genre that we all kind of learned, and we all kind of took to this point now.”
While Michael Jordan was James’ primary basketball inspiration, he never got to spend much time around MJ. However, Jay gave LeBron plenty of game and gems over the years, which he’s applied to his business ventures off the court.
“You said you saw me at the show. Literally, my first summer was — with them was The Blueprint album 25 summers ago. So, man, he’s been one of my biggest inspirations. I say [Michael Jordan] was my biggest inspiration as far as basketball, but I never got an opportunity to hang with him or talk to him or whatever. But Jay is like my big brother. He’s the one who’s given me so much game and has taught me so much,” he added. “And I’m always thinking about him any time I’m doing something business-wise or making a decision or whatever, thinking like, is this going to make him proud or — because he gave me so much game as a 16-year-old kid.”
King James also reflected on the shared humble beginnings he and Jay had to persevere through while growing up in project housing.
“He comes from Marcy Projects in Brooklyn. He knows what it means to have to scrap and grind for everything. I come from Elizabeth Park Projects in Akron, Ohio. So I know exactly what it means to scrap and claw for everything,” James explained. “So it’s just — it’s a mindset. And when you know you got that — when you know you have the vision and you start to realize the power that you possess, and now you could tap into these resources, you become unstoppable.”
Jay-Z has often been courtside at LeBron’s games throughout the athlete’s decorated career, which will enter its 24th season with a new jersey. James is currently an unrestricted free agent and is mulling his options after announcing he’d be leaving the Los Angeles Lakers following eight seasons on the West Coast.
The 41-year-old is reportedly considering a homecoming return to the Cleveland Cavaliers as well as the Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers and Golden State Warriors.
Following his Yankee Stadium shows, Jay will turn his sights toward a pair of concerts overseas in September with performances slated for London and Paris.
