How Shaquille O’Neal and Damian Lillard made it in hip-hop as NBA stars

Shaquille O'Neal and Damian Lillard are the two who have generated the staying power to make it as an NBA standout and as a hip-hop artist.

Shaquille O’Neal, Ice Cube highlight deep roots of basketball and rap culture

Shaq and Ice Cube revisit how basketball and hip hop built a lasting cultural connection that will last the test of time.
Basketball Network on MSN

Shaquille O’Neal claims he’d still be famous without basketball: “I definitely would have been a rapper”

Shaquille O’Neal reveals what he’d be without basketball.

How the NBA and hip-hop have inspired culture and each other for decades

Rapper Chuck D, of Public Enemy fame, is one of several who agree that basketball greats and hip-hop excellence share a similar foundation.
Yahoo! Sports

“He did his [verse] in one take” - Shaquille O'Neal recalls working with Biggie Smalls on his third studio album

Shaquille O'Neal is not one to shy away from any challenge, which made him one of the best basketball players of all time. But it is the same mindset he has for his other passions, including music.