Laker fans may one day be able to purchase a special basketball edition jersey honoring Ermias Joseph Asghedom, better known as Nipsey Hussle.
Los Angeles Laker LeBron James posted a photo of himself on Instagram wearing a custom Compton basketball jersey with his own number, 23, and “Crenshaw” written on the front. In the caption, he dedicated a message to the slain rapper.
The custom jersey was inspired by Lakers fan and digital artist Grant Goldberg. Its color scheme matches the theme of the blue uniforms that the Lakers wore early in their franchise history.
Nipsey Hussle was murdered in front of his clothing store, The Marathon Clothing
, on March 31, 2019. Reputed gang member, Eric Holder, has been charged with Hussle’s murder and the attempted murder of two others. Days after the killing, LeBron wore a t-shirt at an NBA game honoring the fallen artist.“It’s another tragedy in the inner city, urban community, and it’s just unfortunate,” James said in a CBS 2 Los Angeles interview about the rapper’s
murder. “It’s so unfortunate when you look at a guy who believed in what he believed in, talked about how he wanted to give back to his own community, actually gave back to his community, and actually stayed in his community.”Former NBA player Caron Butler suggested back in July that the Lakers and Clippers should honor the legacy of Hussle at the season-opening game taking place on Oct. 2 at the Staples Center.
Nipsey Hussle’s legacy is being kept alive through the sales of his partnership between The Marathon Continues Collection he partnered with Puma on. The clothing line sold out in a day due to the rapper’s popularity.