Lakers wing Cam Reddish got name-dropped by platinum-selling rapper J. Cole on his latest album, and not in a celebratory way.
Hip hop and basketball have been intertwined since the NBAโs inception. From Kurtis Blowโs 1984 smash hit โBasketball,โ to Allen Iversonโs cornrows and flashy jewelry, to Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James constantly posting himself vibing to rap music, the two cultural phenomenons are siblings at this point.
In the latest installment of this music-sport crossover, platinum-selling rapper J. Cole dropped a bar mentioning Lakers forward Cam Reddish on his new album Might Delete Later. What made the โDreamvilleโ label head honcho mention the much-maligned former first round pick?
J. Cole likens Lakersโ Cam Reddish to tragedy in the streets
While Cole didnโt outright diss Reddish, he wasnโt exactly complimenting the former top-10 pick either, via Genius.
โSeen plenty bodies trembling, resembling Cam Reddish,โ Cole raps on โPi.โ โSo full of potential, but never given a real chance to develop.โ
At first, the bar seems like an inaccurate statement. Reddish has had plenty of chances to prove himself in stints with the Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers and now the Lakers. However, the seventh-year veteran still has yet to live up to his lofty draft status. How is that anyoneโs fault but his own?
The first line reveals the true meaning, upon deeper inspection. Reddish has had plenty of injuries throughout his NBA tenure, starting with a right achilles injury that kept him out the majority of his second season. After that, he appeared in less than half of the seasonโs games every year until now. In 2023-24, heโs finally passed the halfway mark, playing in 46 games thus far.
Even this year, though, Reddish has been sidelined with several different issues. The latest was a right ankle sprain thatโs just now starting to heal, as heโs expected to return to the court against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday. However, the Duke alum has still missed 29 games this year, and this is the most heโs played since his rookie year (58 games).
Itโs hard to develop into a great player when injuries get in the way this much. Cole was comparing Reddishโs unfortunate luck to violence in the streets, seeing โbodies trembleโ and people getting hurt, or even dying. Just like victims of gun violence, Reddishโs unfortunate career arc is not entirely his fault, and is a result of unfortunate circumstances.
Although the line may be valid, itโs not the type of lyric that would make its subject excited about it. Legends like James, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant get celebrated in rap songs, and are often used as barometers of greatness. Meanwhile, Reddish was mentioned in a tragic context, his name being used to evoke dark imagery.
With the Lakers on a three-game win streak and sitting in ninth place in the Western Conference, Reddish has a chance to re-write his narrative. If he can help Los Angeles continue its momentum and go on a deep postseason run, perhaps Coleโs lyric will age like milk. Until that happens, though, Reddish will be remembered as yet another highly-touted prospect who couldnโt reach his full potential.
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