Being the best in the business for so much of his NBA career has had its perks for LeBron James beyond insane personal wealth. One can safely assume that he runs in some pretty elite circles, so the Los Angeles Lakers great knows the A-list celebrities personally or can make one phone call to be put in touch with them.

So, when James speaks about what DMX meant to him as a soon-to-be star, our money is on James having mentioned that to the rapper in person at some point. That’s why James’ tweet this week about DMX is undoubtedly from the heart.

LeBron James delivers a heartfelt message to DMX

To one of my fav artist growing up and still to this day DMX, my prayers are with you and sent to the almighty heaven’s above! ??❌

— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 5, 2021

Several hundred people gathered Monday outside a White Plains, New York, hospital to pray and show support for rapper DMX, who has been hospitalized since April 2 following a heart attack. DMX grew up in nearby Yonkers.

There have been messages of support for DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, from top names in the music industry and the sports and entertainment fields. One of those messages came from NBA great LeBron James via Twitter.

“To one of my fav artist growing up and still to this day DMX, my prayers are with you and sent to the almighty heaven’s above!” James wrote.

Murray Richman, the rapper’s longtime attorney, said over the weekend that DMX remains on a ventilator. Multiple reports have suggested his odds for recovery are slim.

LeBron James recently cited DMX as an early influence

The story of LeBron James’ early life has been recounted numerous times. He was born to a 16-year-old single mom in 1984, and James’ father wasn’t part of his life as he grew up in Akron, Ohio. At the age of 9, the future basketball legend was allowed by his mother to move in with the family of a local youth coach to give him a more stable environment.

Five years later, James enrolled at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School and became a national sensation in basketball, leading him to skip college and enter the NBA draft in 2003.

James spoke on the HBO series The Shop: Uninterrupted about the role that pop culture played in his early life.

“For me being part of a single-parent household, never met my father before, I had to gravitate toward certain music, certain athletes, certain artists to talk to me,” he said. “So, like Nas, and ’Pac, and Jay — and even DMX at times. Because I’m a kid in the inner city where I feel like nobody gives a f—k about me. So, like DMX would talk to me like – (it was) dark, twisted — that’s where I am in my life right now.”

The last news on the Lakers star’s injury

LeBron James has been sidelined since suffering a high-ankle sprain against the Atlanta Hawks on March 20, 2021. The Los Angeles Lakers have gone 3-5 without him. They enter the April 6 game against the Toronto Raptors sitting fifth in the NBA Western Conference standings.

Over the weekend, coach Frank Vogel said James remains out indefinitely. For Lakers fans looking for a reason to feel optimistic, both James and Anthony Davis are accompanying the team on the five-game road trip that kicks off against the Raptors in their temporary home in Tampa, Florida.

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