S. Samuel
Rap mogul Jay-Z is proving he is much more than a minority owner in the Brooklyn Nets basketball team by actually checking out the team's Barclays Stadium construction site entering the weekend.
Footage of Young Hov pushing a bulldozer a couple days ago emerged online this weekend.
Jay-Z is keeping a close eye on his multimillion dollar NBA investment — showing up to a Brooklyn construction site yesterday to check out the future home of the Nets … and even trying his hand at some hard labor. The rapper toured the dirt-filled construction yard on Friday — known as Barclays Stadium — to take a gander at where his Brooklyn Nets will earn their stripes … as in black and white, ’cause the team’s colors just changed too. Get over it. (TMZ)
Jay is also seen going at record-breaking slow speed on the machinery.
From the looks of the video, the ‘Watch the Throne’ rapper was actually standing on the side of the bulldozer as a hard hat drove it around the lot at 1 mile per hour. We guess as a precaution the foremen didn’t want the rap mogul to handle the heavy equipment. Nevertheless, it shows that Jay-Z is not just a figurehead in the Nets organization, but that he really cares about the team’s new home. (Pop Crush)
Earlier in the week, the Brooklyn Nets team attire was officially unveiled.
The Nets began settling into their new neighborhood Monday, unveiling new colors and logos at a sporting goods store on Flatbush Avenue, across the street from its soon-to-be-completed home arena, the $1 billion Barclays Center. “Hello Brooklyn,”‘ center Brook Lopez said. “I’ve been waiting a long time to say that. It’s very exciting.” Lopez was joined by coach Avery Johnson, General Manager Billy King, Bruce Ratner, the real estate developer and minority owner who was the catalyst behind the team’s relocation, and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. (Sports Illustrated)
The team’s new look has drawn quick comparisons to another renowned sports franchise.
The new primary logo – created by Brooklyn’s own JAY Z – retains the shield from its previous iteration and adds that iconic Brooklyn ‘B’ to the basketball that has been part of every logo since the franchise’s 1967 inception as the Americans. The Dodgers had their lettermark, and the Nets have added another model for the borough to bear. “Brooklyn,” of course, is spelled out below. Nets CEO Brett Yormark called this “the new badge for Brooklyn,” and JAY Z believes the design’s boldness demonstrates confidence in the new direction. (CBS Sports)
Check out the bulldozer footage below:
