Basketball and hip-hop are intertwined. The two cultures are interlocked, with one influencing the other. They say that rappers want to be ball players and hoopers want to get in the booth. The two world are so close together that we compared Golden State Warriors players to hip-hop artists (check it out here).
One of the most recognizable ways we see this fusion is when a rapper name drops a basketball player. Michael Jordan is probably the most popular one. If you want to be considered the greatest, it seems logical to compare yourself to that guy.