Jeff Capel: Tupac wearing my Duke jersey was 'coolest thing in the world'
Whenever Jeff Capel's name is in the news, there's a good chance you'll see photos floating around social media of the late rapper Tupac Shakur rocking his No. 5 Duke jersey in the 1990s.
That was the case this week after news broke that Pittsburgh had hired Capel to be its next head coach.
Most important thing to remember about Jeff Capel: Tupac once rocked his jersey. pic.twitter.com/TdnCpIoAbg
— Craig Meyer (@CraigMeyerPG) March 27, 2018
Tupac rocking the Jeff Capel jersey back in the day pic.twitter.com/4ndzAyRHdr
— HailToPitt (@HailToPitt68) March 27, 2018
The former Duke associate head coach held his introductory press conference Wednesday, and of course the local media had to ask him about the photos. He said he first saw Tupac wearing his jersey during an MTV News segment in 1995.
"I saw it and thought it was the coolest thing," Capel said, according to Sean Gentille of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "I thought it was the coolest thing in the world."
Capel also admitted to using the photos to score cool points with a potential recruit.
"I showed it to one kid. I did show it to one kid. Because he had a picture with a famous rapper and had a relationship (with him)," Capel said. "I was like, 'Hey, I've got one too. This guy wore my jersey.' So I did do that one time, yeah."
Tupac actually owned more than one Capel jersey. One that he "frequently wore during his downtime and at home" was auctioned off last year for $2,082.50.