Lil Wayne joins ESPN's "First Take" to talk Miami Heat versus San Antonio Spurs with Steven A. Smith and Skip Bayless.
A day after DJ Khaled was on ESPN's First Take, frequent collaborator Lil Wayne appeared on the program today (June 11) to give his opinion regarding the championship series.The Young Money rapper says the Miami Heat will win the NBA Championship in seven games, despite losing 111-92 to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 at home yesterday (June 10). Lil Wayne says that unlike the First Take hosts Steven A. Smith and Skip Bayless and DJ Khaled, who all picked the Heat to win Game 3, he knew the Spurs would take the victory.
“It’s the influence Pop have on the team,” he says, referencing Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich. “They have like one of the rarest teams in the league that actually still listen to the coach.”
For the Heat, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade both scored 22 points. Mario Chalmers has started at the point guard for all three games and has scored three, five and two points in each matchup.
“If (Chalmers) ain’t showing up that he’s not ready to play like he’s been showing, he has to sit down,” says Lil Wayne.
James has had an inconsistent series. He left Game 1 in the fourth quarter with cramps. He scored 35 points in a Game 2 victory, but had a quieter Game 3 going 9-of-14. Lil Wayne says that the Heat will be able to overcome this stumble.
“Last night was obviously...it was something I probably woulda never see again,” the rapper says. “LeBron has a killer instinct, but it’s off and on.”
Weezy calls Heat fans beautiful and denies that they are fair-weathered.
“If the team’s winning, you’re supposed to root for them,” he says. “They need motivation.”
During the First Take segment, co-hosts Steven A. Smith and Skip Bayless get in a heated argument over comparisons of LeBron James to Michael Jordan. Lil Wayne sits back and smiles through most of it, but does offer his own opinion at the end. “Nobody’s Michael Jordan,” he says.
Lil Wayne is expected to release Tha Carter V later this year.