Not Drake, Not Meek – Kendrick Once Took Aim at LeBron James But Stayed Silent for a Shocking Reason

We all thought we knew who Kendrick Lamar’s lyrical bullets were meant for in the infamous “Control” verse — Drake, Meek Mill, Big Sean, J. Cole — but what if we told you that LeBron James was also in the line of fire? That before “Control” hit the culture like a sledgehammer in 2013, there existed an unreleased diss so bold, so unexpected, it targeted not a rapper — but the NBA’s biggest star. And then, just like that, it was silenced. Erased. Scrubbed. Why? The reason might shake the foundation of how we view Kendrick’s loyalty, commercial politics, and the invisible hands behind the curtains of hip-hop.

A Verse That Never Made It — But Almost Did

According to a now-defunct rap blog post from 2013, Kendrick Lamar’s original “Control” verse — yes, the one that sent the rap game into DEFCON 1 — allegedly included a stray shot at none other than LeBron James, then at the height of his Miami Heat era. The line? Sources recall a variation of: “Number six will never be the GOAT / just a king in the heat, but cold when it counts.” The shot wasn’t just a critique — it was an outright dismissal of LeBron’s greatness, during a time when the basketball icon was chasing legacy, MVPs, and titles in South Beach.

While the internet moved on to obsess over Kendrick’s list of rap names, few realized that something more explosive had been cut before release. A former intern at a digital media studio associated with TDE hinted at the deleted line in a since-archived thread, claiming: “The LeBron bar? They took it out last minute. I heard it. They didn’t want heat from Nike or ESPN.”

Why Target LeBron at All?

Kendrick has never shied away from confrontation — from calling out fellow emcees by name to questioning West Coast loyalties. But what beef could he possibly have with LeBron James? On the surface, they occupied different arenas. But look deeper, and you’ll notice Kendrick has always framed himself as a challenger to the status quo — lyrically, politically, culturally.

At the time in 2013, LeBron had just secured back-to-back championships with the Miami Heat, but he was still considered polarizing — “The Decision” fallout hadn’t fully healed, and many still doubted his place in the GOAT conversation. Kendrick, from Compton, raised during the Kobe Bryant era of the Lakers, may have seen LeBron as a manufactured king, one whose reign wasn’t truly earned.

This fits Kendrick’s worldview perfectly. He has long resisted industry-engineered success, preferring authenticity over hype. That same lens may have made him view LeBron as a symbol — not a person — of the machine he disdains.

Who Killed the Line — Big Sean or TDE?

This is where it gets even murkier. According to insiders, both Big Sean’s camp and TDE (Top Dawg Entertainment) had a hand in reviewing the verse before it dropped. And when that LeBron line came up, allegedly someone in the room said, “That’s a bag we don’t mess with.”

Let’s be clear: by 2013, LeBron James wasn’t just an athlete — he was a multi-brand empire. Endorsements with Nike, Sprite, Samsung, Beats by Dre, and numerous appearance deals meant any public figure throwing shade could find themselves blacklisted, sued, or worse: erased from industry playlists and commercial partnerships.

Cutting the bar might not have been about fear. It might have been about survival. Kendrick was just coming off the massive success of good kid, m.A.A.d city — his first major label debut. “Control” was technically a Big Sean track. The powers involved may have seen the LeBron diss as a reckless move that risked alienating commercial partners, NBA stars, and crossover audiences.

Kendrick’s Pattern of Dodging Athletes — On Purpose?

This incident raises a larger question: Why has Kendrick never targeted athletes, despite attacking nearly every other cultural pillar?

While Drake courts NBA friendships, dropping bars with Kevin Durant courtside, or dapping up Steph Curry, Kendrick often remains distant, almost indifferent to the sports world. He doesn’t pop up at Lakers games for headlines. He doesn’t shout out athletes in his albums the way other rappers do. Is it possible he views them — or at least some of them — as part of the same performative structure he critiques?

It also fits his broader tendency: Kendrick speaks on what he deems “truth” — but strategically. He hits politicians in “The Blacker the Berry,” society in “Alright,” and the rap game in “King Kunta” — but very rarely does he diss actual individuals outside music. Unless it’s personal, he stays in his lane. The LeBron line may have been a moment of temptation — but one he chose to leave buried.

Fans React: What Could Have Been?

As rumors of the unreleased LeBron diss resurfaced on Reddit and X (formerly Twitter) earlier this year, fans are split.

Some say it was a missed opportunity — imagining what the cultural shockwave would’ve been if Kendrick had dissed LeBron at the peak of his Heat dynasty. Others argue that Kendrick made the right call, avoiding unnecessary beef that could’ve distracted from his message.

One user posted: “If that line stayed, it would’ve changed the whole energy around ‘Control.’ It would’ve been about sports, not hip-hop. And maybe that’s why it got cut.”

Another countered: “He said he’s the king of New York. He could’ve handled a king of the NBA bar too.”

Legacy Implications — Would It Have Changed Anything?

Would a LeBron diss have aged poorly in hindsight? Maybe. Since 2013, LeBron has added another title, broken Kareem’s scoring record, and is now playing alongside his son — redefining longevity in professional sports.

Kendrick’s decision to stay silent, in this case, may have preserved not just industry peace, but his cultural neutrality. He remains an artist whose words still carry unpredictability. By not dropping the line, he didn’t fold — he chose timing.

But the very idea that he considered it shows that Kendrick is far more calculated than we thought — even his “impulsive” verses were carefully architected.

Final Thoughts: Could It Still Surface?

Could we ever hear that deleted verse? Unlikely. But in the era of AI, leaks, and rap archeology, nothing stays buried forever. If that demo version still exists in a hard drive or Dropbox folder somewhere — or in the hands of someone brave enough to leak it — we might finally witness one of the most shocking diss targets in hip-hop history.

Until then, it remains hip-hop lore: a verse Kendrick wrote… and then erased. Not because it wasn’t good — but because it was too real, too risky, and too powerful for the moment.