In an interesting piece on the eve of the Raptors’ first ever NBA Finals berth, Michele Steele of ESPN is reporting that the NBA spoke to Raptors’ brass during the Eastern Conference finals about rapper Drake’s activity and presence on the sideline.
Drake, a Toronto native, was warned by the NBA last year for a confrontation with Cavaliers’ big man Kendrick Perkins during 2018’s Eastern Conference semifinals. He also drew national attention earlier this postseason for giving Raptors’ head coach Nick Nurse a quick shoulder rub during Game 4 against the Bucks in the Eastern Conference finals, an antic that seemed to rub Bucks’ head coach Mike Budenholzer the wrong way.
“I don’t know how much he’s on the court. It sounds like you guys are saying it’s more than I realize,” Budenholzer said. “There’s certainly no place for fans and, you know, whatever it is exactly that Drake is for the Toronto Raptors. You know, to be on the court, there’s boundaries and lines for a reason, and like I said, the league is usually pretty good at being on top of stuff like that.”
While it’s not entirely clear how the NBA’s conversation with the Raptors played out, Michael Grange of Sportsnet says that one of the league’s proposals was to have Drake sit out of the primary TV camera’s sight-line and/or further away from the team’s benches. Per Grange, Toronto denied this proposal.
It’s further unclear if anything came out of the discussion between the NBA and the Raptors or if any changes will be made by Drake or the Raptors, but by all accounts, it doesn’t appear that Drake will be limited in any way tomorrow night.
Maybe focus less on Drake
If the Bucks coach worried less about shoulder rubs then maybe they’d still be playing.
Really? This is what the NBA is worried about? A famous superfan?
famous??? Who the heck is Drake???
Haha I’m sure having a celebrity as a mascot can’t help much either.
He’s great though for drawing some fans to the game.
If you’ve got a team playing for a championship and you still need a gimmick to draw fans, it’s time to consider relocating.
Ya Knicks and Lakers!!!
So obnoxious watching a basketball game and having them show Drake every couple minutes. The NBA caused this problem by focusing on him so much every single game.
Exactly, if there’s someone who needs to be addressed by the NBA, it’s all the media. Sure, tell Drake he can’t leave a three foot radius from his seat unless he’s leaving the court side. But the bigger problem is the amount of screen time he gets. Any celebrity can attend games and cheer. It’s the media that decides to check in on them twenty times a game.
Who cares? Is he on the court blocking shots? I don’t care what he does on the sidelines, he can perform a one man around the world on the entire Raptors team, and it impacts the game not one bit. Maybe concentrate on playing basketball and less on who is on the other teams side doing whatever. They are professional athletes right?
Makes spike lee look like a saint. Ban the Bum.
Front-row ticketbuyers get too many liberties.
It should be a union issue– players get squished into tiny chairs in the corners. I would even advocate clear plastic shields behind two rows of bench. Towards the middle. Look at the separation & position players in other sports get. Football– distance, Baseball– dugouts, hockey– shields, Soccer– shields, luxury chairs, nuts to the people stting behind. Basketball players get the trash treatment.
That’s a lot of future injuries to have a barrier on the floor.
I really think there shouldn’t be anyone sitting within 10 ft of the bounds. Many times a player could have saved a ball if there isn’t people sitting right in front of them.
He’s super annoying to me, but as a Bucks fan that’s obvious. I’d like to know what any Raptor fans think of him?
I understand why the NBA has these rules, in order to protect players and fans. But this is ridiculous, Drake obviously has a special place with the Raptors franchise. So if they’re ok with Drake being there then so be it. Did he walk over to the Bucks bench? No. Did he massage Budenholzer or any Bucks players? No. So whats the big deal?
He’s literally a mascot except the mascot happens to look like Drake. Nothing to talk about.
looking forward to draymond looking like an ass while trolling drake
i understood it as he has a role with the organization ? thus he should be allowed to sit near/with them if the club permits? and i don’t see the shoulder rub as any different then a ball boy serving Gatorade or water to the players and etc … honestly it should not even be an issue.
Drake is a talentless hack and needs to go away forever. Seriously, who still listens to rap anymore?
Does Drake allow any fan to just come up on stage during his concerts?
Nope, only the underage kind.
Though I don’t know the extent of his antics, can he be any worse than Spike Lee’s been for the past 20-some years?