Justin Bieber Shocks NBA Players By Appearing With Mayweather Before Fight
Justin Bieber, 18-year-old Canadian crooner, was the topic of the NBA during the second weekend of the playoffs after he appeared in the entourage of undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather in his win against Miguel Cotto on Saturday night.
NBA players reacted to the young singer's appearance in 34-year-old Mayweather's camp before and after the fight. Bieber, who revealed a mature new image in his new video "Boyfriend" that garnered 12 million views during the night of its premiere last week, held up one of Mayweather's belts while entering the ring beside the boxer and rapper 50 cent.
David Lee, Golden State Warriors power forward, questioned Bieber's appearance in the entourage.
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"I'm going to need a reason that Justin Bieber just walked out of the locker room with Floyd and 50 cent," Lee tweeted.
Trey Johnson, a shooting guard for the NBA D-league's Bakersfield Jam, thought Bieber's presence was a comedic move made by Mayweather.
"That boy Floyd is funny," Johnson tweeted. "He got Bieber with him."
Bieber cheered for Mayweather inside of the ring along with some other members of the fighter's entourage.The scene had some HBO commentators questioning if he was out of place.
Lamar Odom, currently an inactive forward with the Dallas Mavericks, did not agree.
"I heard an announcer say Justin Bieber looked out of place with 50 and Floyd," Odom tweeted. "Didn't appear that way to me. It's entertainment baby!"
Although many considered Bieber's appearance shocking, the young singer spoke about the similarities between him and Mayweather along with his admiration for the fighter in an interview with V Magazine in January.
"Everyone wants you to be on top, and as soon as you're there -- like Floyd Mayweather, he's the best boxer in the world. Now he is a champion," Bieber told the publication. "Every time he goes to a fight now, people are like, 'He's going to lose this time,' and then he wins. And the next time they say, 'He's going to lose,' again ...Every time he wins. And people aren't ever going to know that he's a champ."
