Jan 13, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; American rapper songwriter and actor Ice Cube holds a jersey given to him by Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) after a game against the Houston Rockets at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

Ice Cube Explains How One Of Most Iconic NBA Songs Almost Never Happened

Originally posted on Back in the Day NBA on SI
By Shandel Richardson | Last updated May 24, 2025 7:48 AM ET

It is hard to walk into an NBA locker room, gym, playground or anywhere basketball is played without hearing a reference to the song.

In 1992, Ice Cube released the track "It Was A Good Day" off The Predator album. While it was meant as a show of a good day in Southern California, it quickly became a basketball anthem because of a few lyrics.

Get me on the court and I'm trouble, last week (bleeped) around and got a triple double

Freakin' brothers all day, like MJ. I can't believe, today was a good day

It's ironic. I had the brew, she had the chronic. The Lakers beat the Supersonics

"I just wanted to talk about what a good day was in my small world at the time," Ice Cube told Back In The Day Hoops On SI. "It was just your favorite teams winning. If you're out there playing, having a good game, just one of those days where everything goes right. That was really the gist of it. I did a lot of hardcore records up until I did `It Was A Good Day.' I felt like I was just talking about the bad days. Let me talk about when I'm having a good day because that's true, too. If I'm a reality rapper, I should rap about everything that's going on."

Ice Cube talks about the song It Was A Good Day

More than 30 years later, the song still has relevance. Ice Cube did a karaoke rendition with superstar LeBron James in 2017. Not bad for a track that was met with resistance when it was written.

"It was real controversial with my crew because they felt like it wasn't an Ice Cube record," said Ice Cube, who now runs the Big3 Basketball League that features former NBA players. "It was too happy. If I'm having a good day, why shouldn't I be able to rap about it?"

The song eventually received the green light. For that, it created one of the most popular discussions in hip-hop and NBA history. There are hundreds of Internet blogs and chat-room debates about when this "Good Day" actually happened. People have based their answers on when the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Seattle Supersonics in the early 1990s.

"It was a good day any time the Lakers beat the Supersonics because that wasn't an easy win going to Seattle and beating them," said Ice Cube, who grew up a huge Lakers fan. "It was no particular day. It was an accumulation of all of the good stuff I could shove into a good day, into three verses, 16 bars. It flowed. It made sense. It's what I would've summed up as a good day back in 1992. It's just one of those songs that landed and it hit on all cylinders."

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This article first appeared on Back in the Day NBA on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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