Raptors and Drake cozy up again, reveal new partnership
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The Raptors’ relationship with one-time ambassador Drake has become increasingly difficult to define over the past year and a bit.
The official label of “global ambassador” is no longer a thing, however, Drake still seems to have the run of the place at the Air Canada Centre and those courtside seats that allow him to hob-nob with all his NBA buddies.
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Raptors and Drake cozy up again, reveal new partnership Back to video
And now, the partnership between the Raptors and Drake is set to grow again, this time with the city of Toronto and the sport of basketball benefiting, too.
On Wednesday, Raptors team president Masai Ujiri announced a new program that will see the team host a total of six ‘Welcome Toronto’ and OVO-themed home games to close out the season. For those contests, the Raptors will wear new OVO-edition uniforms and play on a black and gold ACC court.
The first Drake-related game is scheduled for next Friday, a meeting with the Utah Jazz. The other dates: Jan. 28 versus the Los Angeles Lakers, Feb. 2 versus the Portland Trail Blazers, March 9 versus the Houston Rockets, March 23 versus the Brooklyn Nets and April 6 versus the Indiana Pacers.
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“We have something very special happening in Toronto and Drake is a big part of that,” Ujiri said in a team-issued press release.
“We’re looking forward to this opportunity to continue working together to inspire and support young people, to showcase this great city around the world and to grow the game of basketball.”
The Welcome Toronto program has a charity component to it as well. The 31-year-old Toronto rapper and the Raptors have plans to donate $1 million to refurbish local community basketball courts.
For each of the next three years, four local community courts will be selected for a capital investment. The first four locations are scheduled to be announced later this month.
“As this team and Toronto continues to grow, we have seen how much we can do together,” Drake said in the release.
“Welcome Toronto is about celebrating our team and our city, but also working together to give back to the community and creating a place where the youth of our city can come together to play. These same courts could also potentially shape the next generation of Canadian basketball superstars.”
Another $2 million from the team and rapper will be donated to Canada Basketball and its grassroots initiatives.
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