Check out 17 rap lyrics that name-drop living legend Michael Jordan

Rappers and athletes have a synergy in their competitive nature. NBA players want to win championships as well as be the best in the league, and rappers want to sell the most albums and be considered the best of all emcees. Michael Jordan won six rings and five MVP awards, so naturally he’s inspired a plethora of bars.

MJ’s career began in the ‘80s, so he came up in what could be considered Hip Hop’s golden era. This added to the unending number of spitters who have used his moniker in their wordplay. Rappers like Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G. created lasting legacies in their field, and so did Jordan. Still arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, Jordan has been an inspiration to lyricists ever since he put on a Chicago Bulls jersey.

REVOLT has tracked down the best lyrics that use MJ’s name for you to check out below.

Michael Jordan was an earth-shattering athletic talent, but he also had his alleged vices. Many believed him to be a notorious gambler, spurring speculation about his presumed addiction. In this bar, Big Daddy Kane uses MJ’s supposed wagering habits to his lyrical advantage. He suggests that any rapper stepping to him would be a gamble that they could not afford. As one of rap’s innovators, Kane’s legacy has proven this claim quite true.

Jadakiss’ “Why” is considered by many to be the most legendary set of rapped questions to ever exist. The song is filled with an assortment of hypotheticals. One of the standouts is him wondering what would have happened if Jordan was never a Chicago Bull. Jadakiss used this song to ask life’s big questions and, to him, this one qualified.

One of the most legendary layups ever achieved was done by Michael Jordan when he switched hands mid-jump to avoid the defender. In this slick rhyme, Pete Rock compares his abilities as an emcee to that of Jordan executing this layup. Feeling jealous of Rock is a waste of your time just like any other basketball player being salty their skill doesn’t quite match up to MJ’s.

Tupac was the epitome of rapper charisma. He basically invented that signature tier of abrasive braggadocio in his ‘90s era — much like MJ on the court. This ideology was translated here over a beat. Pac muses about how no one can metaphorically dunk it harder than he can on an instrumental, and when you hear his delivery, it’s hard to not agree.

In this particular lyric, The Notorious B.I.G. takes on all the prominent Michael celebrities with vigor and claims his place among them as a great. Biggie is not the only rapper to ever group Jordan, Tyson and Jackson together, but he may have been the first to do it in a line as slick as this.

When JAY-Z released The Black Album, he said it would be his last. In this lyric, Hov claims he is leaving because he’s on the top of the game. Then, as the bar continues, he makes sure to mention that if he ever raps again, he would do so with a vengeance. He compares his potential return to MJ’s -- when the iconic athlete made his comeback with a new jersey number, 45.

Michael Jordan’s most iconic shots are no doubt etched into NBA fans’ memories for all time. New York rap legend Big Pun was well aware of this fact. In this bar, he proclaimed that he shatters dreams for other rappers the way MJ did so for opposing teams. Basically, if you went up against Pun in a rap battle, you would be defeated like the Utah Jazz in the 1998 NBA Finals.

On one of Drake’s most poignant and introspective intros, he names the six-time NBA champion. In this bar he questions whether he can offer what people want to hear. Drake only ponders this for a second before using MJ’s name to clear the air. He claims that him having the juice to deliver music that the people revere is as plausible as Jordan still wearing a hoop earring.

These MJ bars come near the end of an onslaught of philosophical musings from the Compton emcee. On “The Blacker The Berry,” Kendrick Lamar dives headfirst into his and society’s hypocrisies. You can always count on Lamar to peruse life’s gray areas, and this time is no different. In this array of lines, he lists off a selection of stereotypes and the twisted ways in which they are materialized. The intricacies within this verse are meant to make you question your own viewpoints, and MJ slips in as a part of the overall message.

The .223 in this line by Lil Wayne refers to the size of ammunition in a semiautomatic rifle. Weezy flaunts his weaponry by comparing his ability to shoot to one of the greatest shooters of all time. The wordplay here also extends out to the numbers themselves, lining up with MJ’s signature 23.

The life of a rapper can sometimes get quite complicated. A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie ruminates on those around him doubting his ability and ingenuity. He draws a parallel between him thinking that he’s balling or leveling up to folks feeling he’s staying at the same tier. A Boogie has always been an ambitious musician, and he uses MJ to reflect that drive.

On a feature verse for the Yo Gotti song “Act Right,” Atlanta legend Jeezy sets up a circumstance where one may pop out on him thinking he isn’t ready for their ambush. Jeezy claims he can shoot his chopper like Jordan -- but not just in terms of making shots. MJ also had an underrated passing ability, effectively dishing the ball to Scottie Pippen.

Here’s another Drake bar on a Future remix. Drizzy compares the numbers he puts up on the charts and in his bank account to what MJ put up points-wise. Drake is one of the most statistically celebrated artists of all time. He is even on the level of Michael Jackson in terms of No. 1 singles. Jordan outscored players for a full decade, winning 10 NBA scoring titles.

Michael Jordan was always the first in the gym and the last out. This work ethic inspired a generation of players — like Kobe Bryant — who also followed these same principles. Takeoff from Migos claimed here that he put in that same work ethic in the booth. Upon the late Takeoff’s passing, many reflected on how serious he took his artistry. He was thought of by many fans as the group’s most dedicated craftsman.

Freddie Gibbs continually raps about his time selling illicit substances. In his early career, MJ had issues with his Chicago Bulls teammates because some of them were wrapped up in the cocaine use of the mid-‘80s. Gibbs, like Jordan, was never a user, so they both saw the chaos of the world around them without partaking in it.

On The Game’s track “Blood Diamonds,” he raps about many of life’s conundrums in the streets. For this bar, he outlines how many people rob each other for their Jordan sneakers. The Game also famously rapped about people robbing kicks on his track “Hate It Or Love It” with 50 Cent. However, on that song, he was talking about a pair of Charles Barkleys.

Many young people growing up in Meek Mill’s circumstances only saw two grandiose ways to succeed. One was to become a successful rapper; the other perceived path was a future in hoops. Meek claimed here that there was no such future in basketball possible for him. While many grew up wanting to be like Mike, Meek’s talents brought him to Hip Hop.

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