How He Became Rap’s Kobe Bryant

On Friday (June 6), Lil Wayne continued his beloved decade-spanning series, Tha Carter, with the installment’s sixth entry. With a career built on longevity, evolution and unrelenting dominance, Wayne’s career arc is rare, but similar to that of another cultural titan: the Black Mamba, the late NBA great Kobe Bryant.

Kobe defied physics with his aerial acrobatics and rim-rocking jams. Wayne trounced his competition with punishing punchlines and steely wordplay.

Like Wayne, Bryant’s early beginnings were rocky. Drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in the 1996 NBA Draft, a 17-year-old Bryant was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for Vlade Divac. Bryant, who was a heralded high school phenom at Lower Merion in Philadelphia, was relegated to the bench his rookie season, backing up Eddie Jones. His minutes were inconsistent. He averaged a putrid six points per game. He shot four airballs in a crucial playoff game against the Utah Jazz. Lakers head coach Del Harris wasn’t keen on playing the rookie, though fans saw the spark. When Bryant showed glimmers of greatness, even in small increments, we stopped and took notice.

Wayne’s career started earlier than Bryant’s. He signed with Cash Money at 11, before dropping Tha Block is Hot at 17. Powered by Juvenile, B.G., and Turk, Wayne was a young upstart, sliding in as an edgy wildcard capable of pouncing on any beat with ruthless intentions. Raw and unpolished, Wayne’s swaggering energy was the catalyst for hits like “Bling Bling” and “We on Fire.” Before vaulting into superstar territory, Wayne was a quintessential role player, playing alongside starry teammates — most notably, Juvenile. Juvie enjoyed a fruitful run in the late ’90s, courtesy of his RIAA-certified 4x platinum album 400 Degreez, and the success of “Ha” and “Back That Thang Up.” Like Bryant, who played alongside three all-star caliber talents in Jones, Nick Van Exel and Shaquille O’Neal, Wayne bided his time behind rap vets. But, when Wayne and Bryant’s names were called, neither flinched under the bright lights.

For both superstars, it wasn’t about endorsements and commercials. Their wins didn’t happen overnight. They trudged through the mud, battled against rivals, and tried to usurp their idols. Kobe had MJ. Wayne had Jay. Still, their admiration never blurred their undying ambition: Bryant’s “Mamba Mentality” was fueled by obsessiveness. After thousands of hours in the film room, Bryant’s level of authority on the court mirrored Wayne’s unmatched studio effort.

When Bryant delivered masterclasses on how to be clutch, Wayne taught MCs how to be prolific, dropping thousands of songs with charm and wit. Bryant was considered a flashy dunker, a human highlight reel devoid of a jumper. With hard work and dedication, he became a gutsy shot-taker, a five-time NBA champion, and spiritual backbone for a dynasty. As for Wayne, he flipped the script from being a Hot Boy sidekick to a mixtape monster and later a rap icon, all without a pen. Wayne and Bryant scoffed at their respective scouting reports during their rookie years and rewrote their legacies.

From Bryant’s nine-game streak of 40 points in February 2003 to his sacred 81-point game in January 2006, to even his seven-game winners in the 09-10 season, he was considered the gold standard of the NBA’s first decade of the 21st century, while Wayne’s Carter series and fiery mixtape run with Da Drought and Dedication simultaneously had him in the Best Rapper Alive category.

Kobe chased NBA greatness. Wayne chased lyrical immortality. Different courts. Same mentality.