Ranking the Best '4-Bar Friday' Verses from NBA Stars
The connection between rappers and NBA stars is well known at this point, but when Portland Trail Blazers star point guard Damian Lillard decided to dip his toes into the rap game, he started a social media trend that has taken the league by storm.
Lillard launched "4-Bar Friday" before the start of the 2013-14 season and issued a challenge to fans and his NBA brethren to put their MC skills on display once a week via Instagram.
Since then, Harrison Barnes, Paul George, Iman Shumpert, C.J. McCollum and even LeBron James have stepped up and submitted their best bars.
Now that we have a solid catalogue of NBA rhymes to sift through, let's go back and rank the 10 best verses from this season's 4-Bar Fridays.
No. 10: Draymond Green
Draymond Green is not a star by any means, but the sophomore came through with "the gas" for his "4-Bar Friday" entry. Green also gets points for his Instagram handle, "Money23Green."
No. 9: Paul George
You'll be seeing Paul George's name here again, as he's been a regular in the "4-Bar" movement. Here's the MVP contender dropping some heat about his paper-chasing acumen.
No. 8: Damian Lillard
Mr. "4-Bar Friday" himself has posted some pretty impressive clips, and his first post was no exception. Lillard's inaugural flow focused on his hard upbringing in Oakland.
No. 7: C.J. McCollum
Blazers rookie guard C.J. McCollum has yet to make his NBA debut due to a broken foot, but he's already gotten his feet wet in the rap game with this "4-Bar Friday" drop about making it in the league.
No. 6: LeBron James
LeBron James entered the "4-Bar Friday" arena with this fittingly king-themed post. James' delivery could use some work but he redeems himself with some very solid lyrics.
No. 5: Harrison Barnes
Sophomore Harrison Barnes shouts out both his Golden State Warriors and UNC heritage in his "4-Bar" entry. Hopefully he keeps it up, since "The Black Falcon" would make a pretty sweet rap alias.
No. 4: Iman Shumpert
For an NBA player, Iman Shumpert is pretty well-established as a rapper, and he shows off his pedigree here. Shumpert's clearly got the New York-style punchline flow on lock.
No. 3: Damian Lillard
Lillard dominates this list by pure volume, but that doesn't diminish his talent. Here, Lillard goes on about haters and jealous ones while on the move.
No. 2: Paul George
George might exceed the four-bar limit on this one, but it's hard to find any flaws with his speedy flow and his clever flip of his 10th-pick status.
No. 1: Damian Lillard
The originator takes the crown with a savvy verse about envious old friends that ends with some fantastic Tayshaun Prince/Will Smith wordplay.
