Los Angeles is getting more attention than usual, and that's saying something. The Lakers just lost to the Denver Nuggets, the Clippers are fighting for survival against the Dallas Mavs, and Compton savior Kendrick Lamar is facing off against Canada's popular son. Some Angelinos theorized that Lamar may have performed “Euphoria” at 8:24 a.m. as a tribute to the Lakers' Kobe Bryant, but the song did not appear during the TNT halftime show on May 1. , Drake's diss was unexpectedly tied to the Los Angeles Clippers.
The halftime panel featured the usual suspects: Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson. They each weighed in on who they predicted would win Game 5 (spoiler: Dallas won). The broadcast's curveball came when the show cut back from a commercial break and Lamar's blistering diss track blared from the speakers.
It wasn't even a soft, melodic intro. The TNT halftime show featured a triple switch. The one where K. Dot gets angry and calls Drake a terrible father (among other things). That's not what fans expected to hear, and neither were the panelists.
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Shaq and Kenny Smith started laughing when they heard the song. “Come on,” said Smith. “You guys put us in the middle of a rap beef. [Now] Jett then joked that the network needed to run Drake's “Push Ups” in order to remain neutral. Although the rest of the NBA broadcast avoided beef talk, one panel member actually gave his opinion on the issue. Previously on the Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar fight.
Shaq expressed concern for both artists during an episode of his podcast Shaq's Big Podcast. “I like competition,” he admitted. “I love it because we all have egos. We all say we're the best, and the fans want you to prove it. ” The NBA legend noted that the relationship between Drake and Kendrick Lamar is fine as long as they continue to feud to the tune of music. “I just hope it doesn't affect other things,” he added. “You know, 'My crew looks at your crew and we start fighting and shooting and stuff like that.'
Considering Drake and Dot's track record, Shaq doesn't seem to have anything to worry about.
Read more: Drake responds to Kendrick Lamar's 'Euphoria' diss: 'See you later'
