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I know that we’re in the midst of another victory parade down Biscayne Bay, but it only seems right to shed some light on a move that could affect Miami’s plan for more championship parties. A move that could pair two of the worlds most recognizable stars under one diamond encrusted umbrella — and possibly draw LeBron James out of South Beach.
It’s one of those stories that felt like it fell right out of folklore.
Rapper Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter was in the beginning processes of selling his share of the Brooklyn Nets to become the very thing that most owners despise. The multi-millionaire was giving up his team to become an agent, of all thing, which sparked speculation that James would soon be joining Carter to legitimize his roster.
Fans feared that a change in representation would eventually mean a change of location once James opts out of his contract in 2014. It’s the same fear that fans in Oklahoma City felt once rumors began to float about Kevin Durant making the move to Carter’s Roc Nation Sports.
People seemed to look at Jay as nothing more than a runner, trying to do whatever he can to bring players back to his city — or better yet — to the building in Brooklyn that he claims he still owns.
“KD doesn’t want a traditional NBA agent anymore,” a league source with knowledge of his thinking told Yahoo! Sports. “He wants Jay-Z to handle his branding… He had a chance to be with his idol and couldn’t say no.”
And that’s where the threat lies.
James has often spoke of the rapper as a mentor, especially after the middleman to the NBA stars, William “Worldwide Wes” Wesley, set up a meeting between the two when James was still in high school.
This led to James wearing Rocafella chains, throwing up Rocafella signs, appearing in Jay-Z’s videos and even attempting to play for his Entertainer’s Basketball Classic team at Rucker Park.
Like most of this generation’s players, James was engulfed in the Jay-Z brand before he stepped on an NBA court. But that hasn’t stopped James from turning him down.
Granted, that was while the Nets were still stuck in New Jersey, but Jay can’t make the same moves for James as he can for the New York Yankees‘ Robinson Cano, the New York Jets‘ Geno Smith, WNBA star Skylar Diggins, reportedly Durant and New York Giants‘ wide-receiver Victor Cruz.
First off, LeBron has already parted ways with Roc Nation’s partner Creative Artists Agency in order to bolster his friend, Rich Paul‘s upstart. And marketing is also a plan that he doesn’t need.
Thanks to Nike and his No. 2 selling jersey, James has already hit icon status in the states and overseas. That’s why I believe that their collaborations will stick strictly to their “Two Kings” dinners.
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Richard Nurse is a Miami Heat columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @blackirishpr.
