As an outpouring of emotion following the news of Nipsey Hussle’s death after the rapper was shot outside of his The Marathon Clothing Store in a strip mall in Los Angeles on Sunday evening began to flow in, members of the Golden State Warriors found themselves hit particularly hard by the Hussle’s sudden death.
Hussle’s passing came a just half hour before the Warriors hit the court to take on the Charlotte Hornets, news that had a powerful effect on many members of the team’s roster who had a deep connection with the L.A.-based artist. DeMarcus Cousins has “T.M.C” tattooed across his back, an acronym referencing “The Marathon Continues,” the name of one of Hussle’s mixtapes. He also rocked a pair of Puma Clyde Court kicks in his Warriors debut with that same phrase written along the heel.
Steph Curry had Hussle on as a guest for his “5 Minutes From Home” web series last year, and had begun to form a friendship with the rapper whose message and general outlook on life resonated with much of the Warriors roster.
Steph on the late Nipsey Hussle 🙏 pic.twitter.com/6eI2PSKcsJ
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 1, 2019
“It’s tough,” Curry said following the Warriors win. “I got to know him last year. We had a great conversation about who he was as a person, what he stood for, what his message was, how he tried to inspire people. Considering where he grew up and how he turned that into something extremely powerful. He represented an entire city. It is definitely a sad, sad, tragic event.”
During the 4th quarter of the Warriors win, the speakers began pumping out Hussle’s hit “Last Time That I Checc’d” as many of the players began dancing on the bench.
Dray and KD pay their respects to the late Nipsey Hussle 🙏
(Via @loganmmurdock)
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 1, 2019
After the game, a number of Warriors players commented on his death. NBC Sports has a number of quotes from players, but Jordan Bell’s response was perhaps the most heartbreaking.
“I thought it was fake at first,” Jordan Bell said. “I started seeing more and more, so I went on Twitter and starting looking for verified accounts tweeting about it.”
“You saw pictures of him shot in the head and all that s***. I don’t know, it just f***** me up,” Bell continued. “And finding out he died right before the game was tough, really tough.”
The effect that Hussle had on so many people, represented by his connection to an entire NBA roster, makes Hussle’s death all the more tragic.
Nipsey Hussle is a Warner Music artist. .
