“You Pop em”: 14 years after Jay Z included LeBron James in his bars, Victor Wembanyama gets his own Rhyme from Lil Wayne

The 2023 ESPY Awards saw rapper Lil Wayne perform at the opening ceremony. He started off with a creative rendition of his song, “A Milli.” Instead of singing the original version of the song, the rapper ended up referencing a range of athletes who grew relevant across sports in the past year. This included the 2023 NBA draft number 1 pick Victor Wembanyama, along with his new coach Gregg Popovich. Of course, Wemby is not the first NBA athlete to be featured in a major song. Back in 2006, LeBron James also featured in Jay-Z’s song, “Blow The Whistle.”

The NBA regularly attracts a range of Hollywood and music celebrities. This includes the likes of Jay-Z, Rihanna, Ice Cube, and even Snoop Dogg, who are all known to be hardcore fans. While Jay-Z is a Brooklyn Nets fan, Lil Wayne is an avid supporter of the New Orleans Pelicans.

Victor Wembanyama features in Lil Wayne song even before making NBA debut

Victor Wembanyama is already being hyped as the greatest prospect to join the NBA, since LeBron James. In fitting fashion, he has followed in the footsteps of LeBron James to feature in a major rap song.

Of course, Lil Wayne’s rendition was not an original, but a creative version that he created for the ESPY Award ceremony. Apart from Wemby, San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich was also mentioned in the song:

“You pop ‘em ‘cause we pop ‘em like we coaching Wembanyama.”

Wembanyama is still only 19, but has a world of expectations placed on his shoulders. Just like LeBron James, he is already expected to take the NBA by storm and establish himself as one of the best in the league.

Jay-Z is a long-term friend of LeBron James

Rapper Jay-Z and LeBron are known to be long-term friends. The rapper has been spotted attending a number of LeBron James’ matches over the years. The “Blow the Whistle” song was not the only Jay-Z creation that saw LeBron being mentioned.

The rapper included both LeBron and his former teammate Dwyane Wade in his popular rap song “Empire State of Mind.” The song was released back in 2009, almost a year before the two actually became teammates.

Over the years, a range of NBA stars have been featured in pop culture. This includes various video appearances, references, and promotion involvements. While Wembanyama surely has a headstart, he is hardly the trendsetter when it comes to NBA and pop culture.