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NBA fans on Friday, particularly those in South Beach, eagerly awaited the play-in tournament showdown between the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat. At stake was the No. 8 seed and a seat in the last ride to the 2024 Eastern Conference NBA playoffs. Heat fans came in full force to support and possibly boost the team to another giant-slaying run this year.
Among the stars who came out to watch the game were former Heat player Jamal Mashburn, Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey and rapper Rick Ross. All were decidedly rooting for Miami to book a ticket to the postseason.
Fans quickly took in Ross’ presence at courtside and reacted on X, formerly Twitter:
“Rick Ross hiding in public from Drake.”
One NBA fan couldn’t resist dragging Tyler Herro into the ruckus:
Y’all think Rick Ross called Tyler Hero a “White Boy”?
Another fan concluded a momentary ceasefire had happened:
“Ross stopped trolling Drake for a bit I see”
@missysinghsongs rubbed it in following the Toronto Raptors’ elimination from even the play-in tournament contention:
“Drake don’t got a team to watch”
Some may not know but the fans who reacted likely have an understanding of the ongoing civil war among rappers. Rick Ross, Kendrick Lamar, Future and Metro Boomin are ganging up on Drake after the Toronto Raptors global ambassador’s diss track got leaked. The aforementioned quartet returned the favor on “Drizzy” when the lines for “Push Ups (Drop & Give Me Fifty) came out.
Ross, also known as Rick Rozay, didn’t take Drake’s attack on his age sitting down. The “Hustlin” singer created “Champagne Moments” and unleashed his fury on “Drizzy.” Ross repeatedly hit Drake with the “white boy” diss.
“Weezy gave you the juice/Another white boy at the park wanna hang with the crew” was one of Rozay’s lines. The cover art used on the diss track was the cherry on the cake. It had a Caucasian male in a black/white photo that remarkably looked like Drake.
Drake is reportedly worth $250 million via his albums, contract with Nike and endorsement deals with brands such as Apple Music. Rick Ross, meanwhile, is rumored to be around the $150 million mark due to his business deals and albums. Despite the gap in net worth, Rozay is not backing down.
Rick Ross and Drake could take their animosity on the NBA stage
Rick Ross has said on several occasions that he would like to have an ownership stake with the Miami Heat. As someone who grew up in South Beach, the rapper said it’s his dream to own the team and he is doing it “for the city.”
Drake, meanwhile, is the Toronto Raptors’ global ambassador, who could also try his hand at team ownership in the NBA. He is already a staple on the sidelines in past playoff games involving the Raptors.
Imagine a Heat-Raptors game with Rick Ross and “Drizzy” taking their feud to the NBA. The two rappers will love and relish that stage while no fan can accuse both of ducking the smoke.
Guess the Bulls players in this quiz and it's not going to be easy!
