http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2010/06/28/2010-06-28_lebron_james.html [rquoter] Hip-hop magnate and Nets minority owner Jay-Z has said publicly that he's not going to pressure his friend LeBron James to join his team, but who says he can't seduce him a little? On Friday, less than a week before a handful of NBA ball clubs travel to Ohio to woo the soon-to-be free agent into one of their jerseys, King James spent some quality time with Jay-Z in New York, and got a taste of the super-swank life that could be his if he made the Nets his team. James made a surprise appearance at the 40th birthday party for branding guru Steve Stoute that took place Friday night at a magnificent seventh-floor roof garden at Rockefeller Center. (In addition to being a close friend of Jay-Z's, Stoute is the founder of Translations, the marketing firm that has put James together with McDonald's and other deep-pocketed corporate sponsors.) At the party, LeBron - who's no stranger to VIP treatment - got the full Jay-Z Family experience: he arrived with the rapper and his wife Beyoncé. Mary J. Blige was also on hand. He ate a meal catered by Chef April Bloomfield and the staff of the Spotted Pig, which counts Jay-Z as an investor. (Dishes included beef and Stilton pie and Arctic char; and at 2 a.m., breakfast with something called "steak and egg biscuits" was served.) And helping the crowd work off all those calories was Beyoncé's sister Solange Knowles, who played deejay for the evening. According to another well-placed source, Jay-Z had plans to hang with LeBron on Thursday as well. The source says that Jay-Z had planned to make a midnight appearance with James at the NBA Draft Party that took place Thursday night at his 40/40 Club on W. 25th St. But, after spending the day working on his greatest hits CD, the rapper was "tired and hungry" and left James to his own devices, and the NBA star landed at Avenue with Blige. Jay-Z's night out with James won't sit well with the New York Knicks. Reports say the Knicks scrapped plans to fete James with a pull-out-all-the-stops dinner in the city when they learned that James wouldn't be wooed in NYC. The NBA star's manager Maverick Carter announced that ball clubs would have to make the pilgrimage to Ohio to pitch James. And it looks like Jay-Z has that angle covered as well. On Thursday, July 1, the day that James officially becomes a free agent, the rapper reportedly will travel to Akron, Ohio, with Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, where the Nets are first in line to make an official play for the forward. But with rumors floating that James is taking a good hard look at the Chicago Bulls, let's hope Jay-Z was putting the full-court press on his friend this past weekend. [/rquoter]
You'd have to prove that Jay-Z made overtures. That LeBron's been public friends with him for years will make it awfully hard for anything to stick.
I thought it's only considered tampering if Jay-Z were associated with the team in any way. Like say, he was their VP or something...
i read this report yesterday and thought the exact same thing...hes an owner (even if he's a minority owner)..he's still affiliated with the team. I would think that this does break NBA FA signing rules. If he can do it, Les Alexander should be able to do it as well...NOT COOOL! And Beyonce's no longer hot in my book...she sold Houston out... nahh...she's still smoking hot! lol
I never got the whole "lifestyle" angle when people talk about enticing a player to go to new teams. From what I gather, the life of an NBA athlete is pretty busy during the season, with constant traveling and training in-between games. Off-season is a different story, but players live wherever they want to in the off-season, so why are the amenities of a big city much of a factor?
Yeah, I laugh at Jay-Z somehow providing LeBron with access to a certain lifestyle. On Jay-Z's best day, he might approach being LeBron's equal.
i would think it isnt. esp. when youre touted as one of the best nba players. but if i were in lbj's shoes, the idea of becoming a brooklyn legend and bringing a team like the nets from the cellar to the top would be very tempting. he does need to get his head out of the clouds for a season or two and concentrate on basketball and less on his investments. he has his whole life after basketball to become an entrepreneur.
Why isn't anyone screaming about Wade tampering? Has he opted out of his contract yet? If not, then he should be held to the same standards as everyone else. I know the NBA said just talking isn't tampering, but what if all 3 sign with Miami? With all the stories that have been circulating about the meetings, wouldn't the league have to investigate possibly one of the worst tampering cases in NBA history? If it's all good, why isn't Yao out recruiting Bosh? After all, Bosh has made it clear he doesn't want to play center. Why not have the premier center in the league say in person, "I've got you covered Big Guy"? Instead, we send 3 truck loads of fans (enthusiastic as they may be) up to Cleveland hoping they can actually hook up with him. Or, is this just a diversion by Morey to allow him to go after the player(s) that he really wants (Garnett, Nash, CP3)? :grin:
Jay z has an enormous network that counts just as much as his net worth (at least in terms of living the good life). I'm sure LeBron is loving being surrounded by celebrities and getting the VVVIP treatment at every establishment in NYC. Even if he is LeBron James, I'm sure he hasn't experienced the debaucherous lifestyle a Jay Z can offer on a daily basis.
Dude Jayz owns a recording company, clothing line, part of the nets, and is probably one of the highest selling rap artists in history. I'm pretty sure just on earnings alone JayZ has already made that much, not counting his businesses, which we all know is where the money is really at.
Jay-Z is richer than Lebron. Forbes doesn't even have Lebron in the top 20 richest black Americans. http://www.forbes.com/2009/05/06/ri...onaires-richest-black-americans_slide_18.html
