DeShawn Pleased to Hear Jay-Z Say His Name

DeShawn Stevenson, we love you so. First, you vow to spice up the upcoming season with a non-stop ode to back in the day fashion. And then, there's that lingering feud with LeBron James and his life-coach, Jay-Z.

In the Bog, Dan Steinberg hips us to some choice Jay-Z quotes from the 15th anniversary of Vibe, in which the rap mogul explains what about his relationship with LeBron drove him to get involved in the James/Stevenson beef. If you were wondering, Jay "had no intention to talk about the DeShawn Stevenson thing. I seen him beatin' the [expletive] out of LeBron, and he really couldn't do nothing. I really wanted to inspire [LeBron]. I sent him the ["Blow The Whistle (freestyle)"]. The song wasn't to be released. I sent him the song to get him amped up." He goes on to call James his "little brother," which I'm sure thrills the Cavs organization. I appreciate his honesty, but this isn't exactly playing it close, or showing much political savvy.

But the plot thickens. Turns out it was Stevenson himself who brought this to Dan's attention—proudly, in fact. From top-secret emails:

Dan: Did you ever talk to Jay?

DeShawn: No no no. But he did an article in the new Vibe magazine, he said that I pretty much did my thing during the playoffs against LeBron, that's why he made the [song].

As if this whole thing weren't weird, and drawn-out enough, already, now we have complete and total confusion entering the picture. Tune in next week, when DeShawn calls out Jay-Z for being a lousy mentor, setting off a meme that leaves the entire new Roc dynasty in shambles. So crazy it just might work.

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.