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SALT LAKE CITY — Soon after it was announced on Sunday that Los Angeles rapper Nipsey Hussle had been fatally shot, the tributes started rolling in from all across the NBA.
They came from LeBron James and Bradley Beal; from Steph Curry and Trae Young; from the Clippers and Lakers organizations and multiple members of the Utah Jazz.
His death hit the league hard. And most of the tributes explained why.
Hussle wasn’t just a Grammy-nominated rapper from South LA — he was someone who was trying to build up and give back to his hometown. He was a person who was trying to show that kids can make it from anywhere.
Hussle built a brand new basketball court at his old elementary school in Crenshaw last year, he was constantly involved in charity work in his home city and he was set to meet with the LAPD on Monday about stopping gang violence and helping kids in the community.
And all those actions left an impact on people, even those who had no connection to LA.
“He was an African American who came from poverty, and really became something of himself and tried to help the community where he was from," Jazz forward Jae Crowder said. "Once he did, that, obviously, without even what he does on the music side, him being a mogul and trying to change, trying to show kids in America that you can become something if you come from poverty and that you can change your ways.
"That’s bigger than what his music stood for, for me — and I’m sure for the world. He was a very positive influence to kids in the community in LA.”
RIP NIPSEYMAN GONE TOO SOON! TRYNNA DO GOOD IN HIS COMMUNITY🙏🏾🙏🏾 @NipseyHussle
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) April 1, 2019
It was that influence and his desire to do good that made the news of his death so hard to hear.
“I think it’s just the impact he had, the vision he had for his community,” Jazz center Rudy Gobert said. “Not only his community but other communities, for young kids in the projects and all of that, he had a great vision. It’s just sad.”
Crowder said that vision is something that can live on through many people — including the many NBA players he impacted.
“We have a lot of money obviously; sometimes we don’t do the right thing with it," Crowder said. “He was trying to influence the other side of it, to do the right thing with it, and to help your community and help your family — to do things the right way.”
