The first thing that Lance Stephenson did when the Hornets traded him to the Clippers last month was talk about how excited he was to play for a title contenderrelease a rap song called "Poppin'." Fortunately, Stephenson is one of the few NBA players-turned-rappers that we can actually tolerate, so we didn't mind too much. But it also prompted some people to wonder whether he is going to use his new platform in Los Angeles to launch a serious rap career.
As it turns out, he's not. Stephenson just penned a piece about his trade to the Clips for The Players' Tribune and revealed that he "wanted to do backflips" when he heard he'd been traded. But it wasn't because he was headed to Hollywood to take advantage of the platform that it would provide him off the court.
"My excitement over the move to L.A. wasn't because I have aspirations of becoming a movie star or even seriously pursuing a rap career," he said. "I drop a 16 for fun every now and then, but it's honestly just for fun. Rapping is something I've been doing in my downtime since high school. The real joy and excitement was purely focused on what it meant for my immediate future as a basketball player."
Good to hear. Stephenson's first and only season in Charlotte sucked. But he could very well prove to be an integral part of the retooled Clippers, so it's best for him to focus on the basketball court instead of the recording studio.
That being said, we wouldn't mind the occasional freestyle, Born Ready! #TBT to the time you killed the "Hot N*gga" beat:
Send all complaints, compliments, and tips to sportstips@complex.com.
[via The Players' Tribune]
