Toronto Raptors draft pick Collin Murray-Boyles wants to see Drake rocking his jersey
'It is on the list,' newest rookie says
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Collin Murray-Boyles has one goal now that he’s part of the Toronto Raptors: to see Drake rocking his jersey.
Murray-Boyles, who became the newest Raptor when the team selected him with the ninth pick in Wednesday night’s NBA Draft, said seeing the Toronto rapper wearing his uniform from his courtside seats is “on the list” of things he hopes happen when he makes his debut with the club later this fall.
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“How high on the priority list is the goal to become boys with Drake and have him rock your uniform?” a reporter asked him in an interview.
“I guess, it is on the list, but it’s going to obviously take a lot of work,” Murray-Boyles, 20, said laughing. “I’m ready to work, ready to rep the city. So we’re going see.”
But Murray-Boyles admitted seeing Drake wearing his jersey would be “amazing.”
When he was speaking to Amazon’s Taylor Rooks, Murray-Boyles went a step further telling the NBA sideline reporter that he plans to tag Drake when he touches down in Toronto.
“First thing I gotta do when I get to Toronto is post on my Instagram Story, put a Drake song in there and I’m going to @ him,” the former South Carolina forward said laughing.
Murray-Boyles’ plea to Drake matched former Kansas Jayhawks guard Gradey Dick’s shoutout at the 2023 NBA Draft.
After he was taken with the 13th overall pick, Dick asked reporters to “Get Drake a jersey. I need Drake to wear my jersey.”
Drake has been the global ambassador for the Raptors since 2013. He told ESPN that he landed the gig after he “came into the venue one night and … was extremely outspoken about what I felt could change.”
“That sparked a discussion and (we) sat down and decided we had the same visions,” he told the outlet. “It just turned from a discussion to a reality.”
One of music’s brightest stars, Drake said he cared “about the city more than anything in the world” and namechecked a slew of former Raptors for turning him on to the game of basketball.
“I was a Vince Carter guy. I was a Damon Stoudamire guy. I was a (Tracy McGrady) guy,” Drake said. “I’ve supported the franchise through our ups and downs. More than anything, I’m a Toronto guy. I’m a city guy,” he said.
Over the years, the multi-Grammy winner has formed bonds with various Raptors players, including Kyle Lowry and Kawhi Leonard. But his friendship with former Toronto great DeMar DeRozan hit a sour note when the forward sided with Kendrick Lamar in a high-profile beef between the two rappers.
During Carter’s jersey retirement last November, Drake said that if the organization ever decided to give DeRozan the same honour he would cause a stir.
“If you ever put up a DeRozan banner, I’ll go up there and pull it down myself,” he said.
But as the team’s roster has turned over — Lowry, Leonard and DeRozan are all with new clubs — Drake has become friendly with the newest members of the Raptors.
When the squad drafted Scottie Barnes and Delano Banton back in 2021, Drake posed with the rookie recruits in his home basketball court.
He is also pals with Dick, tapping the young shooting guard for an appearance in the music video released by his six-year-old son Adonis called My Man Freestyle.
“I had plans to meet Drake when he came back to Toronto but we happened to just be there randomly but he was like ‘hey, why don’t you hop in for a little cameo?'” Dick told reporters back in 2023 of their chance run-in at OVO Athletic Centre during his first NBA pre-season.
“I just saw people running around with cameras and I was like ‘what’s going on?’ It was Drake filming a video with his son.”
Meanwhile, Murray-Boyles’ plea to Drake wasn’t his only viral moment Wednesday night.
The member of the Southeastern Conference’s All-Freshman Team sparked a flurry of online chatter when he was caught uttering a one-word expletive after being picked by the Raptors.
Murray-Boyles appeared to shake his head and seemingly said “f***” after his name was called before he smiled and embraced his family and girlfriend, South Carolina basketball star Chloe Kitts.
Afterwards, Murray-Boyles said his reaction was just him expressing his disbelief that his name had been announced.
“What I said was not a bad thing by any means,“ Murray-Boyles said, adding that Toronto was the first team he had worked out for after declaring his eligibility for the draft. ”I’m just very thankful for it. That was a surreal moment to hear my name called by this organization that has a good history and have really good players right now.”
He later returned to social media to share a throwback picture of himself as a youngster in a Raptors T-shirt.
“F***,” he captioned the picture. “Dreams do come true!”
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