Drake hops on Lakers bandwagon for NBA playoffs
Article content
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.
Drake might be the global ambassador for his hometown Toronto Raptors. But with the team out of the playoffs for the first time in eight years, the rapper is officially throwing his hat in the ring with LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
During Wednesday night’s play-in game between the seventh-place Lakers and the Steph Curry-led Golden State Warriors, Drake was spotted courtside alongside actor Michael B. Jordan. This came after he was spotted parting with James (his partner in Uninterrupted) Monday night at the launch of the four-time NBA MVP’s tequila brand.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Drake hops on Lakers bandwagon for NBA playoffs Back to video
tap here to see other videos from our team.
And when James hit a game-winning 3-pointer late in the final minute of the fourth quarter, Drake was spotted cheering the four-time NBA champ on. It was an odd spot for the Grammy winner considering he’s also pals with Curry (he’s got the point guard’s jersey numbers tattooed on his arm and he’s referenced him on the track 0-100).
Over the past decade, Drake has been accused of being a “bandwagon fan,” switching allegiances on a dime.
In 2019, as he cheered on the Raptors’ historic championship run, comedian Bill Burr slammed the rapper for his publicized court side antics, which included giving team coach Nick Nurse a massage and feuding with Warriors stars Curry and Klay Thompson.
“All of the sudden, Drake comes in, who’s a super bandwagon fan, to the point he has to wear a f—ing wristband or a headband on his f—ing arm because he’s got tattoos of the jerseys of the players on the other f—ing team,” Burr said. “I know it’s a business, I know it’s about money, but that guy is the furthest thing from a superfan. A superfan is there through thick and thin. Where the f— has this guy been?”
tap here to see other videos from our team.
In 2014, after James jumped ship from the Miami Heat back to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Drake addressed chatter that he is a fair weather fan.
“Despite what everyone on the Internet thinks, I do not team jump. In the past I’ve always supported the player and not the institution — unless we’re talking about the Kentucky Wildcats and the Toronto Raptors; I will never stray from them,” he said.
“Whether it comes to soccer or football or basketball, I have a lot of friends that play for a lot of teams. I’m not team jumping. I’m a supportive friend.”
But with the Lakers advancing to play the Phoenix Suns in the first round of NBA playoffs, Drake will have a chance to dust off an old Warriors jersey and cheer on Curry as he and his teammates face the Memphis Grizzlies in a do-or-die game Friday night.
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.