Topline
Some frustrated New York Knicks fans, including rapper 50 Cent, have blamed Ja Rule for the team’s playoffs loss against the Indiana Pacers, pointing to Instagram posts the rapper made holding the NBA championship trophy while wearing a Knicks jersey, alleging that jinxed the team.
Some frustrated Knicks fans say Ja Rule jinxed the team with a series of Instagram posts. (Photo by ... [+]
Key Facts
The New York Knicks lost a seven-game series against the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals Sunday night, after the Pacers dominated the team by a score of 130-109, breaking a 3-3 tied series.
Some frustrated fans placed the blame on rapper Ja Rule, who they say jinxed the team following a series of Instagram posts in which he donned a Knicks shirt while holding the NBA Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.
Ja Rule made the posts on May 8, at which point the Knicks were up 2-0 in the series—but after the posts, the Knicks lost four of their next five games before finally losing the series to the Pacers.
“Now yall had a chance but now thanks to Ja Rule, kiss that goodbye,” one of the most-liked comments on one of Ja Rule’s Knicks posts says.
Rapper 50 Cent—with whom Ja Rule has had a long-running beef—repeatedly trolled Ja Rule on social media, tweeting after the Knicks’ series loss: “If you’re wondering why the Knicks couldn’t get the W, here you have it. SMH who let this fool touch the trophy 🏆 🤦LOL.”
Key Background
The Knicks haven’t won an NBA championship since 1973, an agonizingly long streak for fans who have also blamed other celebrities—like avid Knicks fan, director Spike Lee—for jinxing the team. Lee, who learned on ESPN in 2020 he’s probably spent around $10 million on Knicks tickets over the past three decades, was at the Sunday night game and was mocked by the Pacers on social media after their win. The team tweeted a video of Lee with his head in his hands, looking frustrated as the Pacers continued to extend their lead throughout the game. Rapper Cam’ron has previously accused Lee of being bad luck, stating in 2022 that the director should stop attending games: “We haven’t won sh*t since you been a ticket holder.”
News Peg
The Pacers defeated the Knicks Sunday night in a record-setting playoff game in which ESPN said the Pacers had “one of the greatest shooting halves in the 77-year history of the NBA.” The Pacers made 76% of their shots in the first half and 67% overall, which CBS Sports reported is the best field goal percentage for any team in NBA playoff history.
Tangent
50 Cent’s trolling of Ja Rule follows their more than two-decade long feud, which dates back to 1999 when Ja Rule says he was robbed by friends of 50 Cent. The two exchanged diss tracks throughout the 2000s, and Ja Rule has claimed he beat 50 Cent in a physical fight in 2000. In March of that year, 50 Cent was stabbed at the Hit Factory studio in New York, which many believed to be connected to his Ja Rule beef—though rapper Black Child, who was signed to the same label as Ja Rule, later claimed responsibility and said he acted out of self defense because he thought someone had a gun. The feud has occasionally reignited, including when 50 Cent said he bought 200 tickets to a Ja Rule show in 2018 so the seats would be empty and when he mocked Ja Rule for performing on a cross in 2023.
Further Reading
Knicks vs. Pacers score: Indiana wins Game 7 with hot shooting display as New York falls short of ECF again (CBS Sports)
Ja Rule Discusses Two Decades-Long Feud with 50 Cent: 'I Think Things Can Be Mended' (People)
