AllRespect.com // Jay-Z Hopes Kobe Bryant Wins Another NBA Championship Ring

Posted on 2009-06-12 03:00:12
Artist/band(s): Jay-Z [FB]

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1613778/20090611/jay_z.jhtml

Hov says he can't 'condone' friend LeBron James' unsportsmanlike behavior.By Shaheem Reid

Jay-ZPhoto: Bryan Bedder/ Getty Images

Jay-Z has been spotted at several NBA playoff games during the postseason, and as game four of the finals comes around tonight, Hov says he's rooting for Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers.

"I wanna see Kobe win a ring, because a lot of times they say he [previously] won because of Shaq," Jay told Chicago radio station WGCI earlier this week as he called in to promote his upcoming tour with Ciara.

Jay told the station that he's tired of people doubting that Bryant can bring home a championship without the man with whom he's won his three rings thus far, former Laker teammate Shaquille O'Neal.

"I don't think that's fair to [Bryant]," Hov further explained. "He's arguably one of the top five [basketball players] ever. I wanna see him win a ring without Shaq so they can get off the guy's back."

The Lakers are up two games to one in their best of seven championship series against Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. As NBA fans know, the Magic upset the team with the best regular season record, the Cleveland Cavaliers, in the semifinals. The Cavs are led by LeBron James, and in the wake of their loss to the Magic, James walked off the court without doing the customary handshake with the opposing players. James also dodged the press after the last game as well. This caused the NBA executives to hand down a fine.

"I think it'll help him grow," Jay said of his close friend LeBron, with whom he's hosted the "Two Kings" dinner for the past three years. "It's not something I condone. I think as competitors, you owe the man the handshake. Someone beats you, they're better than you that day. Somebody can score more points than you but they can't change who you are. You owe it to that man to shake his hand and say, 'I'll get you next year.' [LeBron] is still a young man and he'll move on."

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