LeBron James Is 'Humbled' By Rap Lyric References

Lebron James is one of the more unusual guests on James Corden's Carpool Karaoke segment, but in a recently unveiled extended preview we see him opening up about getting mentions in rap songs, his good buddy Jay-Z and rapping along to a hip hop classic from the nineties.

LeBron James at Sports Illustrated Sports Person of the Year event

The 32-year-old basketball hero was quizzed by James Corden on how it feels to get constantly mentioned in rap lyrics from 'LeBron James' by Yo Gotti, Big Sean's 'Deserve It', 'Gotta Have It' by Jay-Z and Kanye West, and 'Can a Drummer Get Some' by Travis Barker among many others.

'It's always surprising when it comes on the radio or satellite radio or whatever I'm listening to, and then I will hear my name', he explains. 'It's like, 'Let me rewind that. Let me see what they actually say'. It's humbling. It's cool.'

James Corden asked his favourite mention, but was quick to suggest Jay-Z's 2009 number one 'Empire State Of Mind' featuring Alicia Keys, which has the lyrics: 'If Jeezy's payin' LeBron, I'm payin' Dwayne Wade.'

'Every time Jay says my name it's very humbling', LeBron agrees. 'He's like my big brother, he takes care of me.' He even drops a text to his buddy to prove to James Corden that they are tight, but admits he probably won't reply to that message.

Given that the Cleveland Cavaliers scorer is the holder of two Olympic Gold medals, three NBA championships, four NBA Most Valuable Player Awards and three NBA Finals MVP Awards with dozens of other accolades to his name, it's no wonder that the NBA star is such a mainstream sporting legend.

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The Carpool Karaoke teaser also sees the pair joined by hip hop legend Ice Cube for a sing-a-long of his 1992 song 'It Was a Good Day'. 

The full episode is available to stream on Apple Music now.