We all laughed at the picture of Jay-Z joining the Kentucky Wildcats in the locker room after their win over North Carolina to advance to the Final Four. Turns out, the rap mogul's visit with the team may be against NBA rules. The league frowns upon owners -- Jay-Z is part-owner of the New Jersey Nets -- hanging around potential draft picks, of which Kentucky has plenty.
The report comes from CBS Sports, which notes the precedent set when Celtics general manager Danny Ainge spent time with Kevin Durant's mother.
As noted here, this offense would seem to be comparable to Celtics GM Danny Ainge sitting with Kevin Durant's mother during the 2007 Big 12 tournament. Ainge was fined $30,000, a slap on the wrist in exchange for the opportunity to schmooze a top prospect's mom. But given that standard, Jay-Z should be docked $30K for each college player who was in the locker room.
For a man of Jay-Z's stature, the monetary penalty, if there is one, would be a drop in the barrel. Besides, it's unlikely his contact with the Kentucky players was malicious in any way. He's not making a LeBron-like pitch to the Wildcats with cameras and media members around, but the league takes its rules serious and tampering with draft prospect who have yet to exhaust their college eligibility is a problem.
Stay with this StoryStream for the latest on any potential investigation as more becomes available. For more on the Nets, head on over to Nets Daily.
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