We all know how it works by now: rappers want to be athletes and athletes want to be rappers. There's something about the intersection of culture between ballers and spitters that not only makes both groups envious of one another, but convinces each side that they can adequately perform at a high level on the other. Have the ability to write a hot 16 and a catchy hook? Who's to say you can't drop 16 off the bench on the Wizards? Have a 40-inch vertical and a killer midrange game? Who's to say you can't make it rapping like a PG-rated Canibus over Tyra Banks vocals?
Sure, for their sake most athletes should stick to rapping in the shower or any other area totally devoid of audio recording equipment, but the same can't be said for them all. Some of them actually got bars. And while the latter part of this list is riddled with physically-gifted humans who should stay as far away from open mics as possible, the first few actually give us hope that being an athlete-rapper won't always end in embarrassment. Anything is possible, right? These are The Most Notable Athlete-Rappers From Best to Worst.