Lil Wayne knows sports. In the last year alone, he's written a blog for ESPN.com, debated talking head Skip Bayless on ESPN's "First Take" and sat courtside at the 2009 NBA Playoffs. As reported by Sickamore, his latest mixtape "No Ceilings" also features dozens of sports references with Weezy namedropping everyone from pro golfer Tiger Woods to the Little League baseball team from Curaçao. But just in case you've missed the last few years of Lil Wayne's storied career (or just don't know anything about sports), this is nothing new for the "Sportscenter" stan -- Weezy's been on his A-game.

Here at StreelLevel, we want to make sure you're on top of your game, too. So in honor of Weezy's favorite basketball player, Kobe Bryant, we selected 24 (get it?!) of our favorite sports-related Lil Wayne lyrics to show how he works so many sports into his songs. Then, we broke them down for those who haven't been keeping score at home. Game on!

24. What He Said: "And when it comes to recording, I must be LeBron James if he's Jordan/No, I won rings for my performance, I'm more Kobe Bryant of an artist/Same coach, same game, been starting . . . same triangle offense"
Where He Said It: On "Dough Is What I Got" from his mixtape "Da Drought 3"
What He Meant: If Jay-Z is the Michael Jordan of rap, then Lil Wayne is Kobe Bryant. Only problem: We're not so sure Jay-Z loves MJ as much as Wayne loves the Black Mamba.

23. What He Said: "If love like a grocery, I just bagged a b***h/And you know I'm gonna score like Deion after picks"
Where He Said It: On "Back On My Grizzy" from Da Drought 3
What He Meant: During his storied NFL career, cornerback and kickoff/punt returner Deion "Prime Time" Sanders set an NFL record with 19 defensive/special teams touchdowns. Though he's refused to reveal it in the past, something tells us Wayne's "number" is way higher than 19, though.

22. What He Said: "She can't lie 'cause I glide on Clydes, but she trying to ride with me because I sky on Dominiques/ She's not hatin' cause I rip on G Paytons"
Where He Said It: On "Best of Me Freestyle" from Lil Wayne and the Sqad's "SQ4" mixtape
What He Meant: Remember when rappers were obsessed with finding new ways to describe the size of the rims on their cars? (Hi, Fabolous!) Wayne used the jersey numbers of NBA greats Clyde Drexler, Dominique Wilkins and Gary Payton to describe his.

21. What He Said: "So I stopped writing, now I'm like lightning/And you ain't Vince Young so don't clash with the Titan"
Where He Said It: On "Dr. Carter" from "Tha Carter III"
What He Meant: Like Wayne, no one can mess with Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young. Except, maybe, 37-year-old Kerry Collins?

20. What He Said: "And you can suck my wings/Stand on my money, head butt Yao Ming"
Where He Said It: On "Ignant S**t" from Drake's "So Far Gone" mixtape
What He Meant: Lil Wayne is 5'6". Yao Ming is 7'6". But when Lil Wayne stands on this pile of money? Well, the sky's the limit.

19. What He Said: "My pimp game proper, my inf' aim proper/So run and I will hit you like Jeremiah Trotter"
Where He Said It: On "Uh-Ohhh!" from Ja Rule's unreleased album "The Mirror"
What He Meant: "Yo, Jeremiah, I know you're waaay past your prime and still trying to play, and I'mma let you finish, but your last name is one of the easiest words to rhyme of all-time! Of all-time!"

18. What He Said: "I ball, and you just Erick Dampier, dog/I'm dirty, I get my Bill Laimbeer on"
Where He Said It: On "Swizzy" from "Da Drought 3"
What He Meant: NBA center Erick Dampier stinks. Former NBA forward Bill Laimbeer did not.

17. What He Said: "You n****s can't check me, go 'head, Bowens/And I never left the team 'cause I'm catchin' every pass, Stunna McNabb, he like, 'Go 'head, Owens,' yeah"
Where He Said It: On "Get It Together" from Birdman's Fast Money
What He Meant: Even if you've got this NBA fundamentals video, you can't stop Lil Wayne!


16. What He Said: "Drink that drank before the ice melt/And she don't want no water, she ain't Mike Phelps"
Where He Said It: On Swizz Beatz's leaked track "Up in the Club"
What He Meant: Swimmer Michael Phelps won eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Games. So he likes H2O. But Wayne's chick at the club drinking a watered-down rum and Coke? C'mon, son!

15. What He Said: "In the game, I'm no cheetah, I'm a tiger, I'm a cougar, I'm a panther, I'm a Bengal/Ocho Cinco"
Where He Said It: On "I Can't Feel My Face" from "Da Drought 3"
What He Meant: Wayne likes to talk a lot of smack, make power moves and debate with Skip Bayless on ESPN. Just like Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco.

14. What He Said: "I swear I'm a savage like Lil Webbie and Randy/Oscar De La Hoya, box ya like a casket, Or Diego Coralles, n***a keep jabbin'"
Where He Said It: On "La La" from Tha Carter III
What He Meant: Likely, Wayne was referring to his ability to beast out on tracks. Unfortunately, former boxer Diego Corrales, who had a series of noteworthy bouts with Jose Luis Castillo in 2005, died in 2007 well before this track came out. Earth to Wayne: Don't your weed-carriers know how to fact-check? Oh wait we get it's reference to Coralles being deceased. That was in very poor taste D'Wayne, very poor taste . . .

13. What He Said: "The metal let 'em burn like Ursher but worser/If there's any beef, I come Ron like Mercer"
Where He Said It: On "6 Minutes" from Cassidy's "I'm A Hustla"
What He Meant: See No. 19. Too many things rhyme with "Mercer" to let Ron Mercer slide without a mention--despite the fact that he hasn't played in the NBA since 2005.


12. What He Said: "So I will be drivin' like Ricky Bobby, it's my prerogative like Whitney's Bobby/I'm skatin' on blades like Sidney Crosby"
Where He Said It: On Busta Rhymes' leaked track "Throw It Up"
What He Meant: Rappers love hockey!

11. What He Said: "I'm servin' this track like Steffi Graf, yeah/Roger Federer, there's no competitors"
Where He Said It: On "Sportscenter" from the DJ Drama-helmed mixtape Dedication 2
What He Meant: Tennis players serve the ball. Lil Wayne serves up tracks. Let's keep it movin'.

10. What He Said: "Yeah, I see them boys all behind me winless/I ain't Mario Williams but I'm not defenseless"
Where He Said It: On "Put Me In The Game" from Wayne's mixtape The Drought Is Over, Part 6: The Reincarnation
What He Meant: Mario Williams plays defense for the NFL's Houston Texans. Wayne apparently plays defense for his team, too.

9. What He Said: "The tool yellin' like, 'Holla! Ya heard me?'/Got the fools bailin' like Jackie, Kersee"
Where He Said It: On "Ain't Worried 'Bout S**t" from Like Father, Like Son, his collaborative album with Birdman
What He Meant: Jackie Joyner-Kersee may be giving out flu prevention tips these days, but at one time, she was one of the fastest women on the planet. See No. 10 to see why getting your Jackie Joyner-Kersee on might be a good idea if Wayne's around.


8. What He Said: "Mamis scream, 'Papi no más!'/Run up in your s**t, just me, no Moss"
Where He Said It: "Swagga Like Us" from T.I.'s Paper Trail
What He Meant: If you throw it at him, Lil Wayne goes as hard as Randy Moss does on the field. (obligatory pause?) But Moss isn't actually there. At least, we hope not.

7. What He Said: "I see you with my daughter or son, more than one/Maybe five like the Jacksons, or John Paxson"
Where He Said It: On the leaked mixtape track "P***y, Money, Weed"
What He Meant: Clearly, Wayne wants his new son with Lauren London to grow up and become the GM of the NBA's Chicago Bulls! (And if that's not the reason for the John Paxson reference, well, then good luck figuring out exactly what this means.) [UPDATE: Pax's jersey number was #5.]

6. What He Said: "That knife, that sword, that gun, that war/Make ya so-called soldiers just run like Gore/Yeah, Frank that is, from San Francis"
Where He Said It: On "Get High Rule The World" from Da Drought 3
What He Meant: Again, if Wayne has to get violent, you better ruuuuuuuun! And if you're not into the whole Jackie Joyner-Kersee thing, running like San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore will do the trick, too.

5. What He Said: "Home sweet, Home Depot, you will need a hammer/It go down like Frazier, I ain't talkin' Kelsey Grammer"
Where He Said It: On the remix for DJ Khaled's "I'm So Hood" from his album "We The Best"
What He Meant: Just so we're all clear: He's talking about this Frazier, not that one. Cool?

4. What He Said: "Mice'll run all over b*****s, so we call them b*****s cheeseheads/Lambeau Leap in that p***y like in Green Bay"
Where He Said It: On "Damn, I'm Cold" from Bun B's album "II Trill"
What He Meant: Touchdown, Weezy!

3. What He Said: "Because I got power, just like a forward/I come through the lane, and straight dunk like Stoude/Mire, Amar'e, reminds of I, uh/He's a Phoenix Sun and I am fire"
Where He Said It: On "Outstanding," a leaked track originally recorded for "Tha Carter III"
What He Meant: In so many words: "I'm hot!"

2. What He Said: "I don't really want to, but these n****s makin' me, put a motherf***** on ice like the Maple Leafs/That's a hockey team, and I ain't on no hockey team, but I'm a champion, where's the f***in' Rocky Theme?/Damn, rest in peace, Apollo Creed"
Where He Said It: On "Upgrade U" from "Da Drought 3"
What He Meant: Free association time! Wayne touches on the Toronto Maple Leafs, the legendary theme song for the movie "Rocky" and the fictional death of Rocky character Apollo Creed in a span of ten seconds. Why? Because he can!

1. What He Said: "I'm a paper chase, dog, check my toenails, And I never miss a game, no Shaq O'Neal/More like Brett Favre, just like Brett Favre, I been shot two times, just wipe that off"
Where He Said It: On "Get High Rule The World" from Da Drought 3
What He Meant: Uhhhh...Kobe, who?

*Did we miss your favorite sports reference from Lil Wayne? Do you have a favorite sports reference from No Ceilings? Is Lil Wayne really the biggest sports fan in rap? Drop us a line and let us know.


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