NBA legend Kobe Bryant tops the list of NBA players whose names have been dropped the most in songs. The Black Mamba’s mentions are double of any other athlete on the list.
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Sports personalities being mentioned in music albums are no secret. In the past as well we have seen hip-hop icons such as Drake, Kanye West, and Snoop Dogg drop names of NBA superstars such as LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant in their tracks.
Some of these basketball stars have even collaborated with these rap moguls. The most recent being, 2x NBA champion and Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard’s cameo in Drake’s latest track WAY 2 SE*Y.
The list doesn’t extend to NBA players only. Soccer stars such as Lionel Messia and Cristiano Ronaldo have considerable mentions too. Some of the other sporting legends whose names have been dropped include Mike Tyson, Usain Bolt, and Tiger Woods.
A surprising statistic reveals, soccer players, having more mentions than basketball players. The concluded list below gives us an inside into players who are the most popular in the music industries around the globe.
Which NBA players have been name-dropped in the most songs?
The list below is a detailed study on the no of times an athlete’s name has been mentioned in songs.
- Kobe Bryant, 1,147
- Lionel Messi, 553
- Michael Jordan, 439
- Mike Tyson, 407
- Cristiano Ronaldo, 280
- Diego Maradona, 270
- George Best, 269
- Muhammad Ali, 236
- Neymar, 230
- Tiger Woods, 221
- Zinedine Zidane, 216
- Usain Bolt, 216
- Jim Brown, 203
- LeBron James, 188
- David Beckham, 182
- N’Golo Kanté, 160
- Stephen Curry, 119
- Magic Johnson, 114
- Michael Phelps, 112
- Babe Ruth, 107
- Ronaldinho, 104
- Bo Jackson, 94
- Tom Brady, 94
- Larry Bird, 84
- Reggie White, 84
- Luis Suárez, 73
- Chris Hoy, 56
- Jerry Rice, 55
- Mesut Ozil, 51
- Eric Cantona, 47
Lakers legend and 5x NBA champion Kobe Bryant tops the list by a landslide with 1,147 mentions. The second NBA player with the most no of name drops is Bulls legend and 6x Finals MVP Michael Jordan.
Soccer players are not far away, with Lionel Messi cementing the second position, with 553 mentions and Cristiano Ronaldo with 283 mentions.
The other NBA superstars on the list with maximum votes are LeBron James and Stephen Curry. While King James sits at the 14th position with 188 votes, the former unanimous MVP Steph Curry is at the 17th position with 119 votes.
Some other honorable mentions include boxing legends Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali with 407 and 236 name drops respectively. Golf legend Tiger Woods has 221 name drops, while Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt has 216 mentions.