NBA Stars Mason Plumlee And Kenneth Faried Talk Winning The FIBA World Cup And Hip-Hop
On Wednesday (Sept. 17), the National Basketball Association and premium luxury audio brand HARMAN held a press conference at HARMAN’s flagship store on 54th st. downtown, New York. Media, NBA & WNBA affiliates joined together to explore and experience the quality of the HARMAN products. On top of the gadgets, HARMAN’s International Chief Executive Officer, Dinesh Paliwal and the NBA commissioner Adam Silver gathered the guests in attendance to announce a dynamic new marketing and merchandising partnership between the two global brands.
"Audio is so important to the NBA," said Commissioner Silver at the press conference. "It brings the games to life." The NBA and HARMAN’s JBL brand will produce NBA-branded audio products for fans, with an expectation to provide them with enhanced audio experiences both in the arena and at home. The league will also feature HARMAN’s products at NBA events worldwide. HARMAN is the first official audio partner of the NBA despite some of the league’s player’s personal endorsements.
Also in attendance were FIBA gold medal winning 2014 USA team members Mason Plumlee of the Brooklyn Nets and Kenneth Faried of the Denver Nuggets as well as WNBA Liberty teammates Cappie Pondexter and Essence Carson. XXL had a chance to catch up with Mason and Kenneth after the conference to talk world championship and hip-hop.—Tennelle Swan
XXL: How does it feel to be a FIBA World Cup Champion?
Kenneth Faried: How does it feel to be a winner of anything? When you win a championship, words can’t explain it. You just had to be there, had to feel it. That night, I was just speechless.
What is your favorite pre-game music or song?
KF: "Fight Night" by Migos or my cousin songs, whom is an underground rapper out of New Jersey.
Mason Plumlee: Whatever is on in the arena so mostly a lot of Jay Z.
What is your favorite post-win song?
KF: I don’t really listen to any music after a big win; I just go home and play my game.
MP: Whatever the hot song is at the time, this year was Bobby Shmurda.
What are your top three favorite albums?
KF: That’s tough; I can’t even list a top five. I listen to a lot of different music from Maroon 5, Trey Songz to my favorite rapper, Young Jeezy.
MP: Graduation, The Black Album and Tha Carter II. I would say Drake but he just had his concert and one of the pictures he kept showing was of me getting hit in the balls. People I know keep texting me about it and sending me the video of it.
If you weren’t an NBA star but a hip-hop artist, what would your stage name be?
KF: Hmm, I never thought about that… K- Time!
MP: I guess Ma$e is taken but maybe I could get so big that when people hear Ma$e they associate it with Mason Plumlee instead.
Growing up, what type of music and what artists did you listen to?
KF: Al Greene, Aretha Franklin, Patti Labelle and DMX.
MP: I listened to a little bit of everything, rap and hip-hop. I’ve always been a Kanye West fan but now that I’ve gotten older I also listen to artists like John Mayer and James Blake. After college I listened to Techno so at this point I’ve experienced it all.
Who are your top three favorite new artists?
KF: Migos, Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan.
MP: Bobby Shmurda’s song played a lot while we were on the road, Lorde and James Blake.
Playing overseas, did you discover any new music or artists that stuck with you?
MP: Hillsong, it’s like a Christian band from Australian that Stephan Curry introduced me to when they played in Barcelona, Spain.
What Hip-Hop lyric influences you and your daily grind?
MP: Kanye West said, “Everything I’m not makes me everything I am”
Previously: Here’s NBA Player Lance Stephenson’s Version Of Bobby Shmurda ‘Hot N*gga’
DeSean Jackson On Working With Snoop Dogg And His Jaccpot Record Label
More From XXL
