Kurtis Blow introduced the world to the bond between basketball and hip hop

Kurtis Blow’s 1984 classic “Basketball” was not just about his personal love for the game, but an expression of solidarity between the game and rap.

Since hip hop came onto the scene in 1973, its connection with basketball is evident.

Players are regularly mentioned in songs and featured music videos. Some players such as Shaquille O’Neal, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Flau’Jae Johnson, and Damian Lillard tried their hands at rapping. Rappers don NBA and WNBA jerseys and sit courtside at games.

There is also the share foundational dimensions of improvisation, creativity, and rhythm found in both ball and rap.

“I would say the main reason would be the rhythm,” Blow said to Back In The Day NBA. “The rhythm that it takes to actually do a rap. It’s poetry and rhythm, poetry and rhyme, or rhyming and poetry, rhythm and poetry, and basketball needs that same rhythm. The connection is the rhythm because you need that rhythm, that timing when you’re on defense, when you’re dribbling the ball, the shake and bake is your rhythm. You have to be in rhythm to have that perfect timing when you go up and block a shot. You have to jump at the right time, so you have to be in a perfect rhythm in order to be successful in sports in general, so that’s the connection, number one. Number two, hip-hop comes from the streets. It’s the voice of the people. It’s about community, family. It’s about peace, unity, love, and having safe fun, and that is the connection. This is why the NBA and sports in general and the WNBA, they love hip-hop because of that fact. It’s the voice of the people, and it comes from the streets, and they come from the streets as well.”