Rumors

And no, he isn't named after the late Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant. Sanders' parents named him for Kobe Japanese Steak House near Palm Springs, California, their favorite getaway spot. Kobe Sanders knew he was going to play a lot of minutes with Harden out, so he wasn't nervous about getting yanked if he made a mistake. "I think I felt that freedom most of the season," he said. "They instill a lot of confidence in me, telling me to be aggressive, telling me to keep going." Leonard is among those in Sanders' ear. "I always tell him to keep being aggressive in the game," Leonard told Snoop Dogg. "That's your time to get better right there so don't shy away from it, just keep executing."

ESPN

Steve Kerr’s pregame press conference on Monday took a slight turn when media members asked the Warriors coach about Snoop Dogg. Kerr recalled his personal experience visiting with Snoop Dogg which, most recently, was during the 2024 Paris Olympics when the rapper served as a correspondent for NBC's coverage of the games. “The last time I saw him was on our team bus in Paris when we went up to Lille to play one of the pool games in the Olympics and he rode on the bus with us," Kerr before Golden State's game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Intuit Dome. "And it was like I didn't even know what was happening, and I'm sitting there and you know, in the first row and looking at my phone or something, and he gets on and he's like, 'Hey, coach.' “I was like, ‘Hey, Snoop. What's going on here?’ ”

NBC Sports Bay Area

Underdog NBA: Snoop Dogg on the call for Steve Kerr's ejection:

Twitter

Snoop Dogg will be a game analyst on Peacock’s Los Angeles Clippers versus Golden State Warriors game on Monday, Jan. 5, sources briefed on the move told The Athletic. Snoop, whose real name is Calvin Broadus Jr., will call the game’s second half from courtside with Terry Gannon and Reggie Miller. Snoop will attend the pregame meetings and then observe the first half before putting on his headset.

New York Times

Dave McMenamin: Dalton Knecht says his fans have spoken: Knecht 4 beats Westside Knecht as his top nickname. However, he still gladly accepts the moniker from @SnoopDogg

Twitter

Thirty years ago, SLAM was unlike anything in modern journalism. It didn’t play by traditional rules. Profanity in publication was not off-limits. The writers and editors didn’t pretend to be impartial. “‘Outcast’ is a good word for us,” said Tony Gervino, the magazine’s first editor-in-chief who now works at Tidal as executive vice president and editor-in-chief. SLAM was part of a culture shift that personified a time when the NBA was changing, a time when hip-hop began crafting the style of many players. The shorts were longer and baggier. Pregame music playlists were more likely to include Wu-Tang Clan or Snoop Dogg instead of R&B crooners like Jeffrey Osborne or Luther Vandross. Tattoos became as common as high-top shoes.

New York Times

Arash Markazi: THIS JUST IN: At the Paris 2024 Closing Ceremony on Sunday, Billie Eilish, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Snoop Dogg will perform during the "LA28 Handover" and H.E.R. will perform the U.S. national anthem live in Paris. The LA28 Games will mark L.A.'s third time hosting the Olympics. pic.x.com/w0eoobkmyo

Twitter

ClutchPoints: “Luka [Doncic] wasn’t talking to me. It was somebody that was talking sh*t to him… 'Luka you crybaby, you cried!’ Then when [he] took the lead, he said ‘Who’s crying now motherf*cker?’. I was like this [guy] is a dog!” — Snoop Dogg 😅 (via @DJWhooKid) pic.twitter.com/tOJFo0Y8Md

Twitter

Ben Golliver: Snoop Dogg pulls up to Game 5 pic.twitter.com/Msz8HU4sGt

Twitter

Someone who wants to see Thompson wear the purple and gold is popular rapper and passionate Lakers fan Snoop Dogg, via The Stephen A. Smith Show: “I’m hopeful that we can get us a Klay Thompson. His dad is Mychal, he works for the Lakers, it’s an easy transit down the road.” There is an interesting connection as Klay’s father Mychal Thompson spent the latter stages of his career with the Lakers and is now a radio commentator for 710 AM ESPN LA. Snoop brings up another good point that Golden State is not utilizing Thompson as they once did and may not be a fit anymore: “I mean, he doesn’t fit with them anymore. They’re trying to minimize him. He needs to be on a team where he is wide open, and we love getting him that look. Right now, he’s fighting to get the ball. And that’s not what he does.”

Lakers Nation

Who reminds you most of Kobe Bryant in today's game? Snoop Dogg: That's a hard question because I don't really see nobody with that, you know, killer Instinct. The closer that I say would be Steph Curry because Steph Curry got that killer instincts when it's time for the playoffs, when it's time for the big game

YouTube

Kevin Love mentioned Spoelstra showing a documentary that had clips of FC Barcelona. “That level of professionalism and respect for the game is something that really resonated,” Love said. Tyler Herro was struck by a video that Spoelstra showed them about “Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent and Eminem and how they started, and the manager they had and he was the one rallying the troops, which is Spo [for the Heat]. Spo does [this type of thing] every year, but this year has been a little bit more with how up and down the season has been.”

Miami Herald

On Friday, the trailer for the reboot of the 1990s classic "House Party" was released. The film is co-produced by LeBron James. It stars other NBA players and celebrities, including Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg and Los Angeles Lakers center Anthony Davis.

Sports Illustrated

Stephen Curry: Legendary moments with the Doggfather!! Incredible day in the LBC w/ @snoopdogg and #CurryBrand… seeing the AMAZING artwork by @DamionScott2 for our newly renovated court at @bgclublb. Couldn’t ask for a better collab in our ongoing mission to help serve our communities 🙌🏽💪🏽 pic.twitter.com/9OpsLEp4LU

Twitter