There appears to be minimal overlap between J. Cole fans and supporters of the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Grammy Award winner was performing Friday as part of his ongoing “Fall-Off” world tour at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. Midway through the performance, J.Cole made an effort to console any Clippers fans in the very building where the team plays its home games.
“Shoutout to any Clippers fans in the building tonight,” Cole said on stage. “We’re going to pray for y’all tonight.”
Rather than hear any cheers or even sad grumblings from would-be Clippers fans, the audience showered the stage with loud boos (video here).
“Nah, don’t do that,” Cole said, attempting to calm down the crowd. “Don’t do that. It’s the wrong time for that. Hold up. They need love and support; don’t do that. Y’all see what Adam Silver just did.”
Cole, like most plugged-in basketball fans, heard about the historic punishment the NBA imposed on the Clippers after the team was investigated for circumventing the salary cap. Clippers fans must have chosen to remain miserable in bed rather than endure the pain of entering the Intuit Dome, even for a J. Cole concert.
The Clippers were docked five future first-round picks among several other administrative punishments, leaving the team with few options as they continue their rebuild. The team may need to resort to taking some risks when it comes to roster building in the coming years.
Perhaps Cole, a former professional basketball player himself, may even get a tryout soon enough.
