Team USA Water Polo’s Hype Man, Flavor Flav Touches Down In Paris Ahead Of The Opening Ceremony

PARIS — It’s not just classic ‘80s movies — like The Karate Kid and Ghostbuster — making a comeback these days. Old school rapper and reality TV star, Flavor Flav (real name: William Drayton Jr.) is in the spotlight again — but this time he’s making news in the sports world. 

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer (as a founding member of Public Enemy) touched down in Paris this week to support Team USA water polo on the women’s quest to claim a fourth straight Olympic gold medal. 

At the beginning of May — with 83 days till the Opening Ceremony — the girl dad to four saw a social media post from the women’s team captain, Maggie Steffens, who was asking for support for Olympic athletes. 

She wrote: “Some may not know this, but most Olympians need a 2nd (or 3rd) job to support chasing the dream (myself included!) and most teams rely on sponsors for travel, accommodations, nutritional support, rent/lodging, and simply affording to live in this day and age. Especially female sports and female athletes. We’ve had companies & amazing individuals support our sport alongside donors, USAWP & USOPC, but we always need more help…”

Flav quickly commented and offered to not only support Steffens but the whole team. “Imma use all my relationships and resources to help y’all even more,” he wrote. “That’s a FLAVOR FLAV promise.”

The 65-year-old delivered on that promise, and then some, offering to sponsor them for the next five years. 

Speaking at a press conference in Paris, the rapper said the reason he decided to help the women was because “Everyone wants to feel like somebody has their back,” he said. And for these athletes in particular, “it makes them feel more powerful. It gives them more energy to go out and get their fourth gold medal.”

If the women do that, the rapper — who was dressed in head-to-toe red, white and blue, including his trademark oversized clock medallion around his neck — told the team if they came home with a fourth gold, he was going to give all of them a clock. And not only that, but he is gifting them with a Virgin Voyages cruise for them and their families. 

“My main goal is to really hype this team up to get that fourth gold medal. Right now, on my hat, I’ve got three stars that represent each medal the girls got. I want to see a fourth star on my hat,” he said pointing to his head.

Also wearing a Team USA jacket, he said he felt like an Olympian and looked like one, too. But that was where the similarities ended, he said. After getting the opportunity to get in the pool with the women earlier in the month, he admitted that the sport is a lot harder than it looks. 

“I learned how difficult water polo is,” he said about his experience. “It takes a lot of endurance. I tell everyone I was in the water with the girls for seven minutes treading water and it was the hardest seven minutes of my life.”

Growing up playing sports in his neighborhood, Flav revealed that he has been a fan of athletics since he was a kid. As a result, he’s looking forward to checking out some other events while he is in the City of Light.

“My other plan while I am here is to try to see some other games, like track and field,” he shared. “I also want to go see gymnastics.” On his bucket list is meeting Simone Biles and watching basketball. 

“So that is my plan,” Flav said. “Try to see as much as I can and have as much fun as I can!”

Be sure to follow the women’s journey as they go for their fourth gold when they play Greece in their first match on July 27.

Lisa Costantini has covered Olympic and Paralympic sports for more than a decade, including for the International Olympic Committee. She is a freelance writer who has contributed to TeamUSA.com since 2011.