Mac Miller 'like a young Stockton'

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C Brandon/Getty ImagesMac Miller grew up playing basketball and still takes a hoop with him on tour.

Rapper Mac Miller has amassed more than 50 million YouTube views for his song "Donald Trump."

The song even earned the praise of Trump himself.

And Miller's first album, "Blue Side Park," released late last year, debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 by selling 144,000 copies the first week. It made it the first independently-distributed debut album to hit No. 1 since Tha Dogg Pound's "Dogg Food" in 1995.

But here's something you don't know about the 20-year-old.

"I'm white and Jewish, so obviously I'm a three-point shooter," Miller said. "I'm like a young [John] Stockton."

The Pittsburgh native brings a hoop with him on tour, commonly setting up games in hotel parking lots or wherever he can find space. The games draw a mix of people and Miller's celebrity doesn't earn him any breaks.

"They definitely don't take it easy on me," he said by phone from a recent stop in Edmonton. "It's just my friends on tour with me. It's not people I hired or anything, so they don't take it easy."

The court may be a more familiar place than the stage for Miller. The Pittsburgh native grew up playing basketball, football, soccer and even lacrosse.

But these days there's little time. His upcoming Macadelic Tour has him crisscrossing the U.S. before heading to Europe for several dates. He will also perform at SXSW in Austin, Texas, at the Green Label Sound showcase this week.

He's proud to call himself a Steelers and Penguins fan. And even admits to being a Pirates fan.

His friend Wiz Khalifa made "Black and Yellow," which became ubiquitous with the Steelers. Could he be the next to do a Pittsburgh anthem?

He says probably not.

But he'll always be representing the Steel City.

"I think growing up in Pittsburgh you get a taste of everything," Miller said. "It's a city full of people that work hard."

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