ORLANDO, Fla. — Aaron Gordon steadfastly refuses to back down to those who are criticizing him for his recent rap song ripping Dwyane Wade, one of the judges who cost Gordon a chance to win the NBA Dunk Contest back in February — a contest won by, ahem, Wade’s former Miami Heat teammate Derrick Jones Jr.
Not only is Gordon unapologetic for the musical D-Wade diss, he went on Wade’s own “Wine Down” show on Instagram Live Friday and took a joking jab at the Miami Heat legend.
“There’s only like a couple of people who think D-Jones should’ve won — you and D-Jones,” Gordon cracked.
Wade got a good laugh out of Gordon’s dig and so did Gordon, and the two seemed to bury the hatchet after the judging controversy at the dunk contest. Wade was one of three judges who gave Gordon a 9 out 10 on his final dunk of the dunk-off in which Gordon amazingly jumped over 7-foot-5 Tacko Fall and slammed it home with two hands.
Gordon released a highly entertaining and well-done rap track with an accompanying video appropriately entitled “9 out of 10” and posted it on his Instagram and YouTube accounts a few days ago. In the song, Gordon vents about getting robbed in the dunk-off but seems to acknowledge within his lyrics that he would be criticized for taking on the beloved Wade.
Sings Gordon in the song: “Big chillin’, paint me as the villain. I jumped over the biggest dude in the buildin’ ”
I’m certainly no rap aficionado, but that’s some good writin’ and rhymin’ right there!
In fact, the song got me in the mood for a rapping, knee-slapping, hip-hopping, be-bopping conversation with Gordon earlier this week in which we discussed his music, his charity work and if and when the NBA will complete its season.
Here are some of the highlights:
———
Bianchi: “Were you surprised at the amount of attention you got from your song about D-Wade and the dunk contest?”
Gordon: “Not really. I thought it was pretty entertaining track. I knew people would relate to it and understand where I was coming from. I knew it would do good numbers.”
Bianchi: “But you did get a lot of criticism from those who said you need to let it die and quit being so fixated on the dunk contest.”
Gordon: “I’ve always heard that if people aren’t hatin’, then you aren’t doing something right. We encourage haters; we love haters just as we love those who love us. To me, they are all one and the same. I think it’s natural for haters to respond to something they can’t do themselves.”
Bianchi: “Technically speaking, how would you rate yourself as a rapper?”
Gordon: “I’m in the early stages of my rap career, so I’m still learning. I think I’m good, but I can get a lot better. There is more to come.”
Bianchi: “Some would say that you’re already better than Shaq.”
Gordon: “Yeah, but Shaq went platinum!”
Bianchi: “Who is the best rapper among athletes?”
Gordon: “Right now, I would say Damian Lillard. He has the background and pedigree. I think he’s the best rapper, but I think I’m the best hit-maker. The way Damian does it, he puts a lot of thought and depth into his raps. He not only makes it rhyme, but he makes it mean something and stand for something. I just try to make songs that get on billboards and everyone can dance and ride to.”
Bianchi: “So you and D-Wade have buried the hatchet and are cool now. I see you even like his line of wines. Are you a wine guy and what are some of your favorites?”
Gordon: “I definitely like wine. I would say some of my favorites are Callas and Heitz Cellar and, of course, being a Cali guy, I prefer wines from Napa Valley. And I really like Cabernets a lot!”
Bianchi: “So I’m hearing you are definitely done competing in dunk contests. Why — because you keep getting shafted?”
Gordon: “Exactly.”
Bianchi: “What’s your daily schedule like during this time of self-quarantining and social-distancing?”
Gordon: “I wake up, write down my morning thoughts on three pieces of paper and then rip those up and throw them away as a reset to a new day. I eat breakfast, meditate, do yoga and then work out in my home gym. I also have a hoop in the backyard that helps keep my game in rhythm. Then I read some, write some and make some music.”
Bianchi: “Tell me about some of the charity work you’ve been doing during the pandemic. It seems like the entire Magic organization has gotten involved.”
Gordon: “I’ve been donating to the Orange County School system to help buy meals for those kids in need and also I’m helping an organization called ‘My New Red Shoes’ that provides low-income families with basic needs like shoes in this time of crisis. There are so many great, great people in the Magic organization who are giving back to the community right now. It’s a beautiful thing and one of the best atmospheres I’ve ever been around.”
Bianchi: “What are the players being told about if and when the NBA season is going to resume?”
Gordon: “We don’t really know anything yet, but I think we’re going to start trickling into facilities here the next couple of weeks. Not the whole team, but two or three players at a time will be working out and we’ll go from there. As far as the actual season continuing, it seems there’s a lot of discussion about playing without fans.”
Bianchi: “What would you prefer — going right into the playoffs or completing the regular season?”
Gordon: “ I would prefer completing the regular season just to get into a nice rhythm, so we can be a little bit sharper and get ready for playoff basketball.”
Bianchi: “And, plus, you want to get up to the 7 seed, right?”
Gordon: “You got it.”
Bianchi: “What are your thoughts on reports that if the NBA gets all the teams together in one locale to finish the season, it might be at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports out at Disney World?”
Gordon: “I think that would be awesome because we would be home. That would be the best scenario ever. We’d be quarantined out at Disney and that’s not a bad place to be quarantined.”
Bianchi: “Have you been watching the Michael Jordan “Last Dance” documentary on ESPN? Were you even alive when Jordon won his last championship?”
Gordon: “As a kid, I remember Michael playing for the Washington Wizards, but other than that I’ve only seen highlights. I’m thankful for the documentary because this is all new stuff to me. It’s fascinating to be able to watch that era of the NBA and learn about Michael’s mentality, his vision, his focus, where his head was at and how his will to win rubbed off on everybody.”
Bianchi: “Can you take anything from the documentary and apply it to your own game moving forward?”
Gordon (laughing): “I’m excited about getting back to playing so I can start shooting fadeaways over people. I think can definitely do that!”
———
©2020 The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Fla.)
Visit The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Fla.) at www.OrlandoSentinel.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.