Check Out These NBA Logos Redesigned As Rappers [Photos]
Take a look at this gallery of NBA logos flipped with some Hip-Hop inspiration.
If there’s been any professional sports league that is welcoming to Hip-Hop culture, it is the NBA. From DJ Clue hosting NBA dunk DVDs to teams like the Atlanta Hawks having 2 Chainz as an honorary CEO, the connection between Hip-Hop and the NBA is a strong one.
Obviously inspired by the synergy, UPROXX Sports came up with the idea to re-create NBA logos inspired by Hip-Hop artists. Here is what they came up with.
This is an obvious one here. 2Pac was known for throwing up “Westside” and doesn’t get more Westside than the Los Angeles Lakers. The only choice that could be better may be Ice Cube or Snoop Dogg since he is usually front and center at the games.
Even 19-years after his death, The Notorious B.I.G. still holds the crown as the King of New York.
Jay Z co-owned the Brooklyn Nets, helped bring the team in from New Jersey and he designed their basic but effective logo. No brainer here.
There was a time when most working-class people in Los Angeles couldn’t afford tickets to Lakers’ games, so they went to the Los Angeles Clippers’ games instead. Seeing as how N.W.A. represented for the lower-class and unheard, this seems appropriate.
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Photo: UPROXX
Snoop Dogg is a die hard Lakers fan, but the only thing he may love more than his team is his weed. Since the green leaf is legal in Colorado, this Denver Nuggets rework makes sense.
Lil Wayne can be spotted at New Orleans Pelicans games, but he’s usually cheering for the other team. He’s gone on record saying that he is Lakers fan. But then he became a Miami Heat fan when LeBron James “took his talents to South Beach.” Then he was spotted partying with the Dallas Mavericks when they defeated the Heat in the 2010 NBA Finals. But hey, he’s from the N.O. so we guess this works.
The Toronto Raptors have all but given Drake the key to the arena. In 2014 the team named him as their Global Ambassador, meaning that he consults with the team on their branding efforts. He gets paid in courtside season tickets.
Meh. This Detroit Pistons logo is intended to correlate with Eminem. But, eh, a lot is left to the imagination here.
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Chicago’s most famous rapper is an easy choice here. However, unlike how the graphic suggests, the Chicago Bulls are nothing to look at and aren’t so great these days. But hey, Michael Jordan and six NBA Championships is still something to brag about. And if there’s anyone who knows how to brag, it’s Kanye West.
Outkast put Atlanta on the map, so this logo is very deserving. But, T.I., Ludacris or Jeezy might have been a better choice since they are spotted at the games often.
There has been somewhat of civil war among Golden State Warriors fans. The team started off playing in San Francisco in the 1960s, moved to Oakland in the 1970s and they have been there ever since. But now that the team is great, they are moving back to San Francisco where the money is. Oakland fans have always felt a way about the Warriors alternative jerseys saying “The City” [a nickname for San Fran] instead of “The Town” [the nickname for Oakland]. E-40 is from neither, he’s from Vallejo. But he has been a Bay Area unifier for years, so this is a good look.
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The Roots have displayed more Brotherly Love and teamwork than any 76ers team in recent history. This is the best choice. A Meek Mill logo might have been too many L’s to look at.
Petey Pablo will always be able to rest his head knowing that he put North Carolina on the Hip-Hop map. So this Charlotte Hornets rework is appropriate.
This Indiana Pacers logo is a bit of a head scratcher. Freddie Gibbs is from Gary, Indiana, but anybody from around that area will tell you that that part of Indiana is loyal to the Chicago Bulls.
Pittsburgh does not have an NBA team. But this Wiz Khalifa-inspired Portland Trail Blazers logo is right on the money. Not only is Wiz known for “blazing” but the team actually fit the persona in the late-90s and early-2000s when many of their players became notorious for getting caught with weed.
UPROXX was just having fun with this Big Pun/Phoenix Suns mash-up. No, we did not mean for that sentence to rhyme.
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Wale is a big sports fan and he actually loyal to this hometown teams. This Washington Wizards rehash is well deserved.
This is a cool one. Not only does Juicy J’s profile actually resemble the bear in the Memphis Grizzlies’ logo, the team actually shows respect to Three 6 Mafia by having pictures of the group hanging up throughout their arena.
With so many rappers in Houston, this reworked Houston Rockets logo could have featured anybody. Slim Thug is tall enough to actually play for them though, so he might have been a better choice.
Young Buck not from Milwaukee, but this one is actually a good fit seeing as how the team and rapper share a part of a name and since the Milwaukee Bucks are considered to be a young team on the rise.
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Trick Daddy was a Miami Heat fan before it became cool to be one.
Kid Cudi is cool, but when you think of Hip-Hop in Cleveland, Bone Thugs is still the first name to come to mind. That actual bone in the logo is kind of awkward though.
The KRS-One inspired San Antonio Spurs logo could be interpreted to mean that KRS, just like the Spurs, has displayed longevity in the game for a long time.
This one took some work to execute and it came out fresh. House Of Pain’s “Jump Around” is still a favorite in sports arenas and no one has put on for Boston or the Celtics like they have since they came out.
Check out the rest of the logos at Dime Magazine.
