In 2017, I caught up with NBA veteran DeShawn Stevenson on Scoop B Radio to revisit a moment that forever linked him to hip-hop royalty. Back in 2008, after Stevenson called LeBron James “overrated,” Jay-Z famously intervened with a freestyle over Too $hort’s “Blow the Whistle.” Today, in 2025—with LeBron still breaking records and Jay-Z cemented as a billionaire “Don”—Stevenson’s reflections on that lyrical haymaker provide a fascinating look at the intersection of NBA rivalries and rap culture.
Looking back, Stevenson wasn’t just a defender on the court; he was a catalyst for one of the greatest “flexes” in the history of the game.
The Unexpected Diss: A “Weird Situation”
When the Blow the Whistle remix debuted at a D.C. nightclub, it caught everyone—including Stevenson—completely off guard. Jay-Z’s lyrics didn’t just defend LeBron; they dismissed Stevenson as a non-factor.
“I thought it was dope cause it’s Jay,” DeShawn told me. “But it just caught me off guard because you know, I don’t rap. So you know, it was just a weird situation. I thought it was clever because I’m from California, Fresno obviously Blow The Whistle, so honestly at the moment it’s nothing against Jay it was more about LeBron and the situation that was going on.”
In 2025, Stevenson’s ability to find the “dope” in being dissed by a legend is a masterclass in professional poise. He understood that Jay-Z wasn’t attacking his character as much as he was protecting a “brotherhood.”
The “Brotherhood” and the Unspoken Code
Stevenson was candid about why the situation felt like a missed opportunity for solidarity. Both he and LeBron had entered the league straight from high school, a shared experience that Stevenson felt should have fostered a different dynamic.
“I don’t like to go back and forth because it’s getting kind of old, but to me it was disrespectful. I felt like it’s a brotherhood and I felt like I came straight out of high school and you did too. So we should be uplifting not trying to hold each other down.”
This “buttoned-up” critique of the 2008 beef highlights a persistent tension in professional sports: the line between competitive trash talk and genuine disrespect. While Stevenson and James have since made peace, his 2017 reflections serve as a reminder that the “brotherhood” of the league often comes with complex unwritten rules.
The Recruiting Angle: A Chess Move by Hov?
Our discussion also touched on a theory floated by Too $hort on Scoop B Radio: that Jay-Z’s diss was actually a strategic recruitment tool for the New Jersey Nets.
“So I guess in his mind he was gearing up to, at that point, I think he was thinking about signing LeBron and having him play for the Nets… ol’ boy [Stevenson] stepped on LeBron’s toes talking sh and Jay was like, ‘I’m going to shut this down.’ ”**
Stevenson, who briefly played for the Nets himself, admitted he could see the logic.
“Of course, for sure… I mean you look at LeBron right now you can’t deny he’s a hell of a player so it’s kind of like him having his back.”
In 2025, we now know LeBron didn’t choose the Nets, but the idea that a diss track could double as a “corporate recruitment video” is a testament to the level of chess Jay-Z has always played.
The Final Legacy of the Whistle
DeShawn Stevenson’s 2017 session on Scoop B Radio proved that time heals all wounds, even those delivered over a Too $hort beat. He walked away from the beef with an NBA ring (winning it against LeBron’s Heat in 2011) and a permanent place in hip-hop trivia.
As DeShawn famously put it:
“Who the f* overrated?! If anything they underpaid him.”** — Jay-Z
Even the man Jay was talking to had to give credit where it was due. In the end, the “weird situation” became a legendary moment that showed us exactly what happens when you talk to a “Don” without the proper respect.
