Last night (Dec. 17) the Toronto Raptors celebrated their biggest fan Drake for his second annual Drake Night. The OVO rapper took over the building and announced the players as the entered the court to face the Brooklyn Nets.
He put a comedic spin on his intros, calling the players by their nicknames, such as "Baby-Faced Assassin" (Kyle Lowry), and revealing random facts about them, such as Amir Johnson having a tattoo of a Swiffer WetJet and Landry Fields possibly being related to him. He called their coach, Dwane Casey, "The best dressed man in the NBA. "
The rapper was honored with a special-edition OVO x Raptors T-shirt and a special pre-game projection that featured photos of the team and Drake over his "Believe Me" verse.
The Raptors' Global Ambassador then sat down for a courtside interview with ESPN to talk about the team's success.
"I've spent 28 years in this city. This city means more to me than anything in the world," he told them. "I try to let everyone know that through my music, but this is just another way to let the city know how much they mean to me, and these guys are doing such an incredible job this year. The unity, the sense of family, the energy coursing through the city, it's given me a real purpose, you know, so I get very excited about it."
When an announcer teased Drake about getting trouble for trying to recruit Kevin Durant for the team, he said he had learned his lesson.
"That can land you in trouble you know. Imma tell you Sterling that's my guy," he joked about Donald Sterling (or maybe he meant commissioner Adam Silver?). "We had a conversation about it, and it won't happen again. I got the message loud and clear."
He was then asked about whether he keeps an eye on up-and-comers.
"I try to keep up to date with what our potentials are," he responded. "But, you know, we're really being focused on the squad we have right now. Brooklyn was tough thing for us last year, but that's why I chose Brooklyn for Drake night because we need to get pay back."
When asked what he would do if he were commissioner, he said he'd give the players more freedom.
"I would just let the guys be the guys a little more," he said. "I like the competitiveness, so I would let them just say whatever it is they want to say."
However, he acknowledged that would be "a little unrealistic," noting that the commissioner is "doing exactly what the commissioner should be doing."
He was then asked what he thinks the team needs to be a threat to win the title.
"I think we just to keep going down the path that we're going," he responded. "I think the focus is just getting this squad to perform better and better every night. Thinking about a championship, the fact that these guys have a desire to win is the key. How far it takes us is yet to be seen, but they key is the desire to win, and I'm proud of everybody."
Drake also confirmed the news that Raptors player Demar Derozan had leaked last month about a new mixtape coming up in January.
"I'm working on some great things for the beginning of the year," he told them. "Just trying to keep people excited."
