Lebron James It’s been the subject of many memes over the years, and now we know the story behind one of them.
next to Los Angeles Lakers‘ March 19 road matchup against Miami HeatJames arrived at the Kasia Center in warm-weather wardrobe: shorts, a button-down short-sleeve shirt, and a bucket hat.
Despite James’ drooling, fans noticed one thing that stuck out upon his arrival — he had rapper J.J. Was carrying a vinyl of Cole’s latest album, “The Fall-Off”. However, it was not for show.
On Carmelo Anthony’s latest “7 O’Clock in Brooklyn” podcast, the rapper, whose real name is Jermaine Cole, explained why the Lakers star brought out his album.
Cole said, “On the way over, he had The Fall-Off vinyl – he brought it over so I could sign it.”
J. Cole Braun explains the story behind carrying the ‘Fall Off’ vinyl 👀 pic.twitter.com/clWdiUbWzd
– 7PM in Brooklyn (@7PMinBrooklyn) 24 March 2026
The North Carolina-raised rapper said he contacted James because he would be attending the Lakers’ road game against Miami and wanted the 22-year-old NBA vet to meet his children. J. Cole also said that the Lakers star is his eldest son’s favorite player.
“My oldest [is] Coming into basketball, Braun is his No. 1, and I hit Braun up and he politely said he would do it,” Cole said.
While Cole and his kids watched the Lakers beat the Heat 134-126 Back luka doncicWith James’ 60-point performance and James’ 19 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, he expressed excitement about James meeting his children, deeply impressed by his appearance as a celebrity.
Cole said, “This guy was treating me so nice. … Brother, it was the craziest feeling to see your kids meet a superhero – that was the first time I’d ever done something like that.”
“And it made me appreciate all the times that there was some dad or something that had their kid and I got a chance to sign an autograph or take a picture. I’m like, ‘Oh my God.’ I hear the father in my mind, ‘Man, I really appreciate this brother, thanks.’ But now that I’ve been through it, I’m like, ‘Oh, now I know what he meant.’ …You gave my son a lifetime of memories, so thank you Braun for that.”
Cole’s “The Fall-Off” is his seventh studio album. The 24-track album was released on February 6, featuring Future, Thames, Erykah Badu and other artists.
James is currently averaging 21 points, 5.9 rebounds and 6.9 assists in the 2025-26 regular season.
