Music

Have you ever bet on an NBA Finals series against a friend? If the answer is yes, then you have something in common with E-40 and Joyner Lucas — who put up $50,000 each last year when their hometown teams, the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics, squared off in the 2022 Finals, with the Warriors eventually winning the best-of-7 series in six games. 

“The reason I was confident is because we’ve done this,” E-40, a longtime Warriors fan, tells Billboard. “We’ve got four rings, and these past 10 years, this decade has been ours.”

As confident as the Vallejo, California native was that his squad would emerge victorious from the 2022 championship, E-40 still tried to give Lucas multiple chances to call off the bet. The “Ramen & OJ” rapper admittedly made this wager with his heart and hometown in mind. 

“I don’t know what the hell I was thinking, to be honest with you,” Joyner tells Billboard. “I think I was just trying to show the hometown some love. I was confident about how it started off [with the Celtics going up 2-1], that we were going to take it.”

The Worcester, Massachusetts MC, who recently dropped “Blackout,” the latest offering off his forthcoming sophomore album, Not Now, I’m Busy, watched his money slip away right before his eyes as he performed at halftime during Game 6 of the Finals last year. The Warriors were crowned champions that evening, and if you ask E-40, he wouldn’t mind betting on his hometown team again. 

“I feel like we’re going to repeat, and once we win, I don’t know who’s going to step up and be like Joyner,” the West Coast legend tells Billboard. “I don’t know what rapper wants to do it. They can play with me if they want to. They can put a hundred up, they can put 200, whatever they want to do. I’m going with the Warriors.”

During Game 1 of the Western Conference Round 1 series between the Warriors and Sacramento Kings on Saturday night (Apr. 16), E-40 was involved in a verbal skirmish with security, resulting in his ejection from the arena. The incident stemmed from an earlier encounter with a heckling Kings fan, which prompted security to come and check on the matter. The West Coast veteran called out the Kings organization, citing “racial bias,” hoping those involved would be held accountable. The Kings responded with a statement and said that they are currently investigating the matter. A rep close to E-40 confirms to Billboard that he will not be attending Game 2 in Sacramento on Monday night (Apr. 17).

Prior to the incident over the weekend, Billboard caught up with E-40 and Lucas to discuss their friendly rivalry, the sources of their fandom, and their 2023 NBA playoff predictions. 

When did you become a fan of your team, and what really drew you to them?

E-40: I always liked sports. Baseball, basketball, football. And I always represented my soil. I love California, period. But I love Northern California more, you know what I’m saying? And so, me being a Warriors fan since I was young watching Rick Barry shoot free throws, underhanded. Watching that, I’ve been loving it.

I did a big thing in Vallejo, in my city at Dan Foley Park, where it was called the E-40 Fun Day. And I had all the kids out there, I’m talking about the whole Vallejo. Free barbecue, games. Had hella games out there, jumpers, everything you need. I even had the Warriors, RIP to the mascot that they had back then, but he came to the thing. He set up the whole Warriors thing.

The time I’m talking about was like 1998, somewhere around twenty-something years ago. I’ve always been a fan of the Warriors, but any team around here I would try to support. It’s always Warriors, 49ers, and the [San Francisco] Giants are my first priority.

Joyner Lucas: [For me], just growing up and watching the games and having a team where you’re from. Naturally, you want to support where you’re from. As you grow up, and you want to support your team, where you from, and you know there’s a lot of legendary players that have played on the Celtics. And these players that are on the team right now will be legendary as well. I just think that that’s really what it is.

Last year, you guys made a $50,000 bet on the NBA Finals. How did that come about? 

E-40: He wanted to bet me. He said, “Let’s bet.” I said, “Let’s bet a dollar, man. Let’s just do a little cool little gentleman’s bet, like $1. A dollar deal.” He wanted to big time me and just, “Nah, f–k that. Let’s bet $50,000.” He tried to punk me out, right? And he didn’t know I was trained to go, you feel me?

I say, “Okay, you sure?” Right? And he was like, “Hell yeah!” Even a day later, he posted it right away. He put it on Facebook and Instagram. I didn’t say anything. Maybe I re-posted what he put out or something, but he’s the one who started it. He wanted to talk Big Bronco. And I’m like, “Joyner.” A day later, I believe a day or two later, I say, “Man, it ain’t too late to back up out this bet.”

I’m throwing him a life vest and stuff like that, and he’s still talking Big Bronco. You know what the man said? That man said, “F–k that. I don’t want to hear no mother f—–g kumbaya.” You know what I’m saying? That’s what he said.

Joyner Lucas: I felt like Jayson Tatum and those guys really wanted it, but I didn’t really take into account how long the Warriors been really doing it, and how seasoned they are. And E-40 gave me a lot of chances to back out of the bet, even when the Warriors were leading, but I didn’t want to back out because I’m a man of my word.

In the end, I took a really bad loss, but I’m going to be real with you: I didn’t expect us to lose the night that I performed. I thought we were going to win that night. Thought it was a home game, I thought we were going to win. I thought it was going to be great, but they lost the night that I performed. It was crazy, because even during halftime, we were down. When I went out and performed, it was like nobody was trying to hear that s–t. Nobody was trying to see me perform, because nobody was really in a good mood that [because they] were down, so it was just all bad all the way around, man. It wasn’t really a good night.

E-40: He said, “Send me the wire information.” Right? And I was like, “Okay.” I sent it to him, and then he hits me … I think it was the weekend, but he hits me and say, “As promised.” And he showed me the wire info. Right? 

I called him and I said, “That kind of hurt, didn’t it?” He said, “Hell yeah!” I said, “I know that would’ve hurt me no matter how much money I got.” It’s just $50K. That’s just a lot of money. He asked me what I’m going to do. “OG, what you going to do with the money?” I said, “I’m going to redo my swimming pool.”

40, being a season ticket holder, is there any player on the Warriors that you have a really good relationship with?

E-40: One of the people that I’m close with is Draymond [Green]. That’s my guy. I’m close to [Stephen] Curry too, but I’m super close to Draymond. Draymond is a great guy. We’ve played dominoes together. Before he moved to San Francisco, closer to the arena, he stayed out here by me.

And I would go over there, and his mom would be there. He used to say, “Mom’s making tacos today.” That’s our folks too. And we’d go over there, we eat tacos, play dominoes. And it’d just be nothing but just love. And we talk s–t to each other, especially on days off. We’d get a few glasses of wine, you feel me? And it’s just genuine love. 

I was at his wedding. Everybody that was somebody was up in that thing. Even LeBron and all of them. He invited me and my wife to the wedding.

What are your thoughts on the overall playoffs this year? What are your predictions? 

E-40: It’s going to be tough. We don’t know. This one is very unpredictable overall, because there’s so many good teams. The West is so tough, and all of these players are playing at a high capacity. Basketball has evolved. The players have evolved. I don’t know if it’s their workout plans, or technology, or how they eat. I don’t know what it is. But they didn’t play like this back in the days, good brother. Everybody’s good. You hear me?

Do either of you think your team can make it back to the Finals?  And if they do, are you planning on putting another bet on it this time around?

Joyner Lucas: I’m never betting on a single basketball player or game in my entire life. Never again will I ever bet on another basketball game ever again in life, ever. That was it.

I would hope that they would be able to get back. I would like to see it go the other way this time, but at the same time, again, it’s the experience of the Warriors, man. They showed last year that they had that experience over the Celtics. I don’t know if one year is going to change that. I don’t know. Hopefully, if they get back, they can capitalize and they take it home. That would be amazing for the city, and I think everyone would love to see that. Jayson, he’s having a hell of a year, so I guess we’ll see.

E-40: Absolutely. I feel like we’re going to repeat, and once we win, I don’t know who’s going to step up and be like Joyner. I don’t know what rapper wants to do it. They can play with me if they want to. They can put a hundred up, they can put 200, whatever they want to do. I’m going with the Warriors.