Our favorite NBA players are bumping this music before games

NBA players inspire us daily but what music are they listening to in order reach the highest level of focus?

Music can have an incredibly powerful effect on both our bodies and on our brains. If you need to concentrate whilst working, classical music has been known to help maintain focus.

If you are going out for a run, or any exercise that requires you to maintain a constant rhythm, finding dance music that has the right beats per minute has been proven to be incredibly effective. If you are hosting a dinner party and you want to create a chilled-out atmosphere amongst your guests, soft jazz could be the way forward.

Nerves can affect anyone before an important meeting or event, especially for those people who find these sorts of situations uncomfortable.

That is why it can be useful to get the adrenaline pumping and to go into these challenges head-on and feel energized, instead of meekly showing up. That is why fast music, such as rock, heavy metal, or rap, can be effective genres to try out in these sorts of situations.

Professional athletes aren’t immune to these sorts of nerves. In fact, some of them will have to go through this sort of process on a semi-weekly basis, as they will have numerous important fixtures to contend with each week.

That is why the locker room is off-limits to fans and the press, as it is seen as a sanctuary for the players to get into the right headspace, so they can focus on the game itself, and ignore everything else around them.

While post-game the locker room will probably have music being blared out from a loudspeaker, beforehand most players will have their own headphones in, listening to their music of choice.

Ever wondered what music it is that athletes, such as NBA players are listening to before they run out onto the court?

It is something fans and bettors will be considering when they are searching for sports betting odds on the NBA, as they want to place bets on players and teams who clearly look pumped up for the game, which will be directly influenced by the type of music they listen to pregame.

Let’s see if we can’t uncover a little more information on this topic.

Hip-hop and rap music are popular choices for NBA players

A few years ago, the NBA asked the teams who had made it to the playoffs to have some of their players share a few songs each, so fans could get a good idea of what was pumping through their headphones before these big crunch games.

A lot of the same artists cropped up, such as Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, N.W.A and 2 Pac. Justin Timberlake and Rihanna also made frequent appearances, as did 50 Cent and Lil Wayne. Given how popular the hip hop/ rap/ r&b genres are these days, it is no surprise to see them being mentioned so often by the current top NBA players. 

That’s not to say that other genres aren’t represented at all. J.J. Redick, the former shooting guard for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Orlando Magic was more into alternative rock, stating that he listened to bands such as Alt-J, Silversun Pickups, and Imagine Dragons before each game.

Rock music was certainly a more popular genre 20 years ago, but it’s good to see that some players still use it to get them motivated for a big game.

If LeBron is listening to it, it clearly works

LeBron James has arguably been the best NBA player for the past 15 to 20 years. He has won the NBA championship 4 times, in 2012, 2013, 2016, and 2020.

Not only that, but he has also been named as the NBA MVP on 4 separate occasions, in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013. So clearly he knows what he is doing on the basketball court, as fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Miami Heat, or the LA Lakers will attest to.

Therefore, his pregame playlist, which he shared with people back in 2017, should certainly be listened to by anyone who needs to get the blood pumping before a big event.

The playlist, available on Apple Music, contains a lot of hip-hop and rap, from artists such as 2 Chainz, the Notorious B.I.G, and SZA. It is interesting to see a number of Drake songs on there too.

In fact, Drake was one of the most popular artists for a lot of the NBA players who shared their playlists, so clearly his music is just right for getting in the mood.

However, given that Drake is a huge Toronto Raptors fan, we’re not sure how happy he would be to see his songs used to inspire players who often do so well against his beloved team!