15 NBA players and their rapper counterparts

1. Stephen Curry and Chance the Rapper

In a time when we are always trying to predict what the next big thing is, we spend tons of hours and words on trying to correctly identify the Next One. Sports Illustrated named LeBron James “The Chosen One” when he was a high-schooler. Some are less accurate, like pinning current player comparisons to draft prospects.

How many times do I have to read “the next Dirk Nowitzki” or “the next Dwyane Wade” in a draft blog before we realize we’ll never see those guys again. Sometimes, comparisons can be blinding. Often times, the Next One is simply A Poor Man’s Someone.

What we should be looking for is the New One. The person who will revolutionize the way we do things, not simply repeat them.

When Stephen Curry was drafted, his ceiling was thought to be Ray Allen, someone who would be a good three-point shooter and second banana to a true star. Curry’s blown those expectations out of the water with his three-point splashing and masterful ball handling in the past two seasons. He’s launched himself from best shooter in the league to best player in the league, and he’s changing the way we view the game one 35-foot jumper at a time.

When Chance the Rapper released his debut mixtape Acid Rap in 2013 he was met with critical acclaim and droves of loyal fans. Still, it wasn’t unlike the hype around other up-and-comers Childish Gambino and Joey Bada$$.

But there are moments when people rise to the occasion and redefine their ceilings. For Curry, it was his 2014 NBA playoffs performance against the Los Angeles Clippers. For Chance, it was the verse the stole the show on Kanye West’s track “Ultralight Beam” off of his 2016 release The Life of Pablo.

Those performances put these guys on new roads. Ones that led to not only stardom, but the top of the mountain. Curry lived up to these new expectations with two of the greatest shooting seasons we’ve ever witnessed, two MVPs and a championship.

Nearly three months after his TLOP appearance, Chance dropped Coloring Book to critical acclaim, a gospel-laced elevation of rap music. It’s a record that gives you the same fun, refreshing experience of watching the Warriors’ sound ball movement and wet three-point shooting.

There have been great shooters in the past, but Curry shoots the ball better. There have been gospel rap records in the past (you don’t have to look far beyond his mentor West), but Chance does it better.

With their singular and signature greatness, they are taking the game to places we didn’t expect.