Kendrick Lamar is one of the biggest names in the music world today, and his new single, Humble, is already sitting at No. 2 on the Billboard Top 100. With that said, the hip-hop star is basically the best possible artist to associate with the upcoming NBA Playoffs, and ESPN has apparently locked Lamar into place as something of a soundtrack for the network’s postseason coverage.
The NBA playoffs start tomorrow at 3 ET on ABC.
There’s levels to it, @kendricklamar. pic.twitter.com/IyAkXlixrs
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 14, 2017
NBA stars, highlighted by LeBron James, have already proven to be huge fans of Lamar’s new album, Damn, and this is another example of the link between the rap star and the league itself. Die-hard basketball fans will undoubtedly remember the league’s love affair with Pitbull for its postseason television broadcasts in recent years, but this is certainly an upgrade in terms of pure musicianship.
It will be interesting to see what the league’s other major television partner, TNT, has in store for its background musical accompaniment, but ESPN is taking an aggressive and modern approach to this season’s coverage. That will almost certainly be well received by the great majority of NBA fans, and it represents yet another instance of the league being ahead of the curve when it comes to reaching out to its core audience.
