The Story Behind Ice Cube's Iconic World Series Walkout: 'A dream come true'

Before O'Shea Jackson became Ice Cube, he was just a kid growing up in South Central LA, adoring the Los Angeles Dodgers like all his peers. It was the 1970s, and the Dodgers were perennial World Series contenders—but they couldn’t get over the hump.

They dropped consecutive World Series to the New York Yankees in 1977 and 1978. But three years later, they got their revenge, beating the Yankees in 1981. Ice Cube remembers those years vividly—how Yankees slugger Reggie Jackson’s home runs "broke his heart," and the joy he felt when the Dodgers finally got the best of the Yankees.

So, he was elated when, 33 years later, the Dodgers and Yankees met again in the 2024 Fall Classic.

"Here we go again," Ice Cube said during the fourth episode of Keyshawn Johnson’s limited series "LA Legends." "The two most iconic teams playing in the World Series."

Ice Cube, simply, was just excited to be a fan — rekindling his inner child by rooting for the Dodgers to beat the Yankees like they did in 1981.

"I never knew I was going to be a part of it at all," he said.

But then the phone rang. The Dodgers asked if he wanted to bring the team out before Game 1 at Dodger Stadium.

His response: "I was like, ‘Man, that’s a dream come true.’"

Ice Cube’s appearance was delayed until Game 2, after the Dodgers honored legendary pitcher Fernando Valenzuela — who passed away three days before the start of the World Series — prior to Game 1.

Ice Cube said he was happy to help out the Dodgers whenever it worked for them. When the opportunity came to perform before Game 2, he emerged from behind the right-field fence at Dodger Stadium in his retro Dodgers jacket and strutted toward the infield while performing "It Was a Good Day."

As he rapped, Dodgers players bobbed to the beat in the dugout. Manager Dave Roberts was seen singing along. Ice Cube capped off the performance by shouting, "It’s time for Dodgers baseball!" while standing in the batter’s box, then swinging the microphone like a bat before dropping it on home plate and walking off.

The Dodgers followed with a dazzling performance of their own, beating the Yankees 4–2 in Game 2 to take a 2–0 series lead.

Ice Cube’s involvement was so successful that, after the Dodgers won the World Series, they invited him back to perform at the championship parade.

This time, he wore a Dodgers jersey with No. 24 on the back to honor the late Kobe Bryant. While performing, a surprise guest joined him on the field, catching Ice Cube by surprise.

"I felt something bump against me and I looked back, and I’m thinking, ‘Damn, some groundskeeping dude got too excited and jumped up here,’ and then I looked, and I’m like, ‘Damn, that’s the skipper—that’s the coach.’"

Out of nowhere, Roberts was dancing alongside him.

"It was cool," Ice Cube said. "If we win again, he could jump up again, and we could rock it again."

The Dodgers (56–38) have every opportunity to defend their title this season and celebrate with Ice Cube once more. But they’re currently in the middle of a six-game losing streak. In fact, they might need Ice Cube to make a premature return and spark his hometown team for a second-half surge.

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