Jay Z Watches the Cats Beat the Cards

Sitting close enough to trip a referee and looking directly at a dance team member, Jay Z was in the house for the UK-UL game on Saturday. Rumors began circulating about an hour before the game of his appearance and he entered the gym just moments before the opening tip. His seats were on the floor very close to my media seats and at a timeout, I stood in front of the cheerleaders to get the above (bad) shot. The man they call HOVA watched intently throughout the game, had a Michael Kidd-Gilchrist jersey in the second half and was part of the crowd that gave a standing ovation to Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer when he was introduced as the “Y” during one of the breaks.

At halftime, I saw him in the back media room and after being introduced, asked him if he had anything to say to the UK fans on KSR. Jay Z then told me that “I love the Cats” and kindly posed with my thumb for the picture below:

In terms of celebrities at Rupp Arena, Jay Z may have given the younger fans in the crowd the most excitement. He was introduced late in the game and those in the crowd that knew him gave him loud applause. But it was clear that some of the Blue Hairs had no clue who the man dressed in black was that walked on the court. For the student section however, Jay Z fever was rabid. I can also say that I have never seen Drew Franklin so excited in my life as the moment that he was able to shake the rapper’s hand after the game. He was like a 10 year old girl with Justin Beiber, shaking and asking for hugs in order to calm down. If Mr. Beyonce is ever worried about self-esteem or simply needs a pick-me-up, just make another trip to Lexington and I can guarantee he will feel good about himself again.

So let’s see…at UK games in recent years we have seen Jay Z, Drake, Ashley Judd, Ben Roethlisberger, Mike Tomlin, Magic Johnson, Lebron James and Tracy McGrady…not to mention the famous alumni such as John Wall, Demarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson, Rajon Rondo, Tayshaun Prince, etc. At Louisville games, occasionally Papa John comes. #LouisvilleDoesn’tExist