Some of the best basketball players in NBA history have tested their chops in the recording studio, from Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, to Allen Iverson and even Ron Artest. Success, as you would expect was few and far between — even as Damian Lillard and Iman Shumpert seek to change that.
The same applies in reverse. A bevy of rappers spent their youth on the basketball court, with a few even playing in college and attempting a career as professionals. Not many were successful.
MORE: Ranking every 2016 NBA All-Star | Looking back at Kobe's rap career
But with NBA All-Star Weekend here and the Celebrity Game taking center stage Friday night, we decided to build our very own basketball team of rappers based on actual basketball talent — as best as we could see it.