.@Drake rocking the Dell Curry Raptors jersey and Vince’s Shox BB4 PEs for Game 1.
📸: @YahooCASports
Drake has arrived at the NBA Finals Game 1 wearing a Dell Curry Raptors jersey tonight along with a pair of Vince Carter Nike Shox. The move is obviously a bit of a troll by Drake as he wears Steph Curry’s dad’s old Toronto jersey. Drake has a good relationship with Curry so the move is likely all in good fun.
Curry was asked earlier if the Warriors had any problems with Drake’s antics during games. The Golden State All-Star noted the rapper was just having fun.
“It’s been entertaining,” Curry told CBS Bay Area. “It’s a tricky situation with him being right there on the court. End of the day, he is having fun. You can’t hate on nobody having fun. I guess in this life everybody can hate on someone having fun. It’s par for the court.”
It will be interesting to see what Drake wears for Game 2. The rapper does not have an ownership stake with the Raptors but is a Community Ambassador for the franchise.
The NBA Asked Drake to Tone Down His Antics During the Playoffs
While Drake has added intrigue to the playoffs, privately the NBA contacted the Raptors to ask the rapper to tone things down, per ESPN. One option that was reportedly given was for Drake to not sit courtside, but the Raptors declined this option, per Rogers Sportsnet’s Michael Grange.
“One proposal was to have Drake move seats so he wouldn’t be so close the players and in line of sight for cameras. The Raptors said no,” Grange tweeted.
Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer voiced his displeasure with Drake’s interaction with players and coaches during the Eastern Conference Finals. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr noted he felt like it was good for the league.
“I kind of think it’s fun and the NBA kind of embraces the pop culture dynamic of the league and the stars and the celebrities who are out there,” Kerr explained to ESPN. “And we got E-40 ready for them too, so we’re in good shape.”
NBA commissioner Adam Silver noted to Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes that there is a line that “even ambassadors shouldn’t cross.”
“We appreciate how big a fan he is, and I know the Raptors do,” Silver said, per NBA.com. “He has the official designation ‘ambassador’ … and he’s a global star, so it’s a huge deal that he’s so engaged with the team and loves the NBA so much. Obviously, there’s some lines that even ambassadors shouldn’t cross.”