Utah Jazz players past and present took to social media with their thoughts and reactions in the wake of hip-hop star Nipsey Hussle’s sudden passing.
The hip-hop world has lost one of its true innovators and rising stars. Grammy nominated rapper Nipsey Hussle, whose debut studio LP Victory Lap wowed critics and reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200, was shot and killed in front of his Los Angeles clothing store on Sunday afternoon; he was 33 years old.
In the wake of his passing, legions of fans from every walk of life — including several Utah Jazz players — took to social media with their thoughts and reactions to the news.
With their tweets honoring the man and his work, Jazz stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert each called attention to Hussle’s exploits away from the rap game —
Do too much good, try to bring people together and they will take you down... R.I.P @NipseyHussle 😔😔😔
— Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27) April 1, 2019
RIP NIPSEYMAN GONE TOO SOON! TRYNNA DO GOOD IN HIS COMMUNITY🙏🏾🙏🏾 @NipseyHussle
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) April 1, 2019
Hussle’s efforts to improve his community were numerous. He helped establish a STEM program and co-working space/cultural hub in South Central LA at Vector90. He was also part of the group that developed Destination Crenshaw, a 1.3 mile, open-air museum using Crenshaw Boulevard as a canvas to celebrate artists and black LA.
Big man Derrick Favors was a fan of Hussle’s music, which first hit the scene in 2005 with the release of his first mixtape, Slauson Boy Volume 1. Hussle went on to release several more mixtapes and multiple compilation albums before Victory Lap dropped early last year.
It was during that time, presumably, that Favors made Hussle the first live show he ever attended —
Damn man, @NipseyHussle was the first concert I ever went too and my favorite artist RIP # legend
— Derrick Favors (@dfavors14) April 1, 2019
Meanwhile, Jae Crowder offered his own condolences, while lamenting Hussle’s final tweet, a now ominous post that has been the subject of much debate in the hours since his death —
R.I.P @NipseyHussle .!! PRAYERS FOR YOUR FAMILY.! 🙏🏾🤦🏾♂️😔
— JAE CROWDER (@CJC9BOSS) April 1, 2019
https://twitter.com/CJC9BOSS/status/1112515684125343746
Other Jazz people to share their thoughts on Hussle’s passing include Ekpe Udoh, Georges Niang and former Jazzmen Trevor Booker, Earl Watson and Elijah Millsap —
https://twitter.com/EkpeUdoh/status/1112523121767022592
Rest In Peace nip! Your journey and story motivated so many! please keep shining down on us!
— Georges Niang (@GeorgesNiang20) April 1, 2019
Nipsey was working on a documentary about a holistic doctor that claimed to have a cure for AIDS. Not saying that that had anything to do with his death but it makes you wonder.
— Trevor Booker (@35_Fitz) April 1, 2019
— Earl J Watson (@Earl_Watson) April 1, 2019
As of this writing, police have yet to name any suspects in the shooting, which also left two other men injured.