It's no secret among basketball fans that NBA commissioner David Stern has recently taken several measures to bring "red state" appeal to his league and distance it from its urban roots.
The Commish outlawed the jump from high school to the pros, enforced a strict dress code and tightened technical foul rules.
While these may be savvy business maneuvers, they are detracting from the emotion and soul of the game. The fact of the matter is that the NBA is a hip-hop league. These two entities are made for each other, and to separate them would be downright unnatural.
Stern should realize that there are countless parallels between the rap game and the Association. One parallel in particular has caught my eye: Kobe Bryant is Kanye West and Michael Jordan is Jay-Z.
Kobe and Kanye are both the best in the world at their respective trades. Kobe is undeniably the most skilled player on the planet right now - if not ever. Kanye possesses a musical talent not seen in many years, and his new album is audible crack cocaine. Both men were also raised in relatively well-off families in the suburbs, unlike the vast majority of their counterparts. Both Bryant and West overcompensate for their lack of street credibility with legendary egos.
As Kanye says, "my head is so big you can't sit behind me." This saying could certainly apply to Black Mamba as well. Both even have profanity-laced YouTube clips - Kanye's about his lack of VMAs and Kobe's about his lack of a supporting cast.
But perhaps the most glaring similarity between the two is that they will forever be in the shadow of their more beloved predecessors: Jordan and Jay-Z.
Michael Jordan won 10 scoring crowns, six NBA titles and five MVPs, and laid claim to the title of Greatest Player Ever, while Jay-Z has dropped nothing but platinum albums for his entire career, simultaneously becoming synonymous with all that is cool and fashionable. Both men achieved unprecedented crossover appeal and became massively successful entrepreneurs: Jay-Z with his Rocawear clothing line, and Michael with his Jordan brand empire.
Jay and Jordan both had short-lived retirements followed by well-publicized comebacks. Hova even drew the parallel himself, rapping, "I'll come back like Jordan wearing the 4-5."
Most importantly, however, is the fact that Jordan and Jay-Z will forever be the standard by which great hoopers and hip-hoppers will be measured. Countless young basketball players have encountered the stigma of being labeled the next Jordan - Harold Miner, Grant Hill, Vince Carter, and yes, a certain Kobe Bean Bryant.
While Kobe is the only one who can come close to Jordan's prodigious skill and ferocious competitiveness, there will never be another No. 23.
Kobe has repeatedly stated his desire not to be compared to MJ, but with Jordan still in the forefront of the public's mind, the comparisons may never cease.
Kobe will not eclipse Jordan's six championships, nor will he achieve Michael's commercial success, due to the sexual assault charges brought against him in 2003. It seems he is destined to be relegated to second fiddle.
Unlike Kobe, Kanye West admits that Jay-Z was his idol and mentor, describing their relationship in his song "Big Brother." Yet, similarly to Kobe, no matter the level of fame and glory Kanye achieves, it seems that the public will forever see him as an immature and self-centered version of Jay.
Despite their current status as kings of their respective trades, Kanye and Kobe will never live up to the gold standard of Jay and Jordan.
Oh, and Commissioner? Jason Williams is just like Eminem because ... never mind.
Danny Joseph is a sophomore majoring in English. He can be reached at Daniel.Joseph@tufts.edu.
