A former Toronto Raptors teammate is backing DeMar DeRozan in his ongoing feud with Canadian rapper Drake.
Lou Williams, who teamed up with DeRozan during the 2014-15 season in Toronto, called out Drake for his comments about the franchise potentially honouring the six-time NBA all-star.
Drake, who serves as a global ambassador for the Raptors, said during the TV broadcast of Saturday’s game against the Sacramento Kings that he would pull down DeRozan’s banner himself if Toronto ever retired his jersey.
Drake, sitting in his usual courtside spot for the first time this season, said: “If you ever put a DeRozan banner up I’ll go up there and pull it down myself, shout out to Kyle (Lowry).”
The night had featured a jersey retirement ceremony for Vince Carter – the first in franchise history.
Williams, who is name-dropped in Drake’s track 6 Man, called the comments “selfish” during an appearance on FanDuel’s Run It Back podcast earlier this week.
“If I’m gonna speak candidly, I thought that was selfish of Drake,” Williams said. “Drake, as well as the country of Canada, the city of Toronto, they know what DeMar DeRozan has contributed to the culture up there and what he’s contributed to the Toronto Raptors and to that community.
“It goes way bigger than his personal relationship with Drake, it goes way bigger than his personal relationship with Kendrick Lamar.
“So for Drake to say, ‘If you put up a banner and I’ll personally pull it down,’ it’s like, is it just about you or is it about the Toronto Raptors?”
Williams, who won three Sixth Man of the Year awards during his career – including while in Toronto – continued by saying that the situation was “silly.”
“Drake knows what DeMar DeRozan means to that city,” Williams added. “So for him to that, I thought it was kinda silly and some of the other things that have gone viral, that he said under his breath was kinda silly.”
The rapper also called DeRozan a vulgar name and said “it’s unfortunate we’re playing this goof.”
DeRozan had a typically witty response at the ready to Drake’s snark: “Well, he’s going to have a pretty long way to climb … I wish him luck.”
Drake’s beef with DeRozan appears to stem from the NBA veteran’s cameo appearance in the music video for Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us — a vitriol-filled diss track aimed at Drake.
WARNING: Language
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DeRozan also joined Lamar on stage when the rapper performed the song during a livestreamed concert in Inglewood, Calif., in June.
DeRozan spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Raptors and ranks as the franchise’s all-time leader in points, games played, and free throws. He was traded to the San Antonio Spurs in 2019 for Kawhi Leonard and later played for the Chicago Bulls before signing with the Kings this past summer. The Raptors, spearheaded by Leonard, won the 2019 NBA championship.