After Drake made his long-awaited return to watch the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena Monday night, the rapper joked that he’s been banned from putting on the headset to comment during live television broadcasts.
Monday’s game against the Golden State Warriors, which the Raps won 104-101, marked just the third time Drake has been at a Raptors game this season. Often when he’s in attendance, he’ll hop on the telecast to offer his thoughts on the team’s gameplay.
But during the tilt against his pal Stephen Curry’s club, Drake shared a short video to his Instagram Story that showed Sportsnet commentators Matt Devlin and Alvin Williams calling the game courtside and a third headset.
“How long is my headphone ban??” the five-time Grammy winner captioned his clip in which Devlin was seen shrugging. “I was born to commentate.”
“I’m banned from these right here,” Drake could be overheard saying as he zoomed in on the headpiece. “The good old one-year ban. It was good while it lasted … RIP. I’ll be back one day.”
Following Drake’s jokes about being disallowed from lending his voice to the TV coverage of Raptors games, fans lamented the news on Reddit.
“(Does) the NBA want viewership or not?” one person asked. “Put the boy on the mic.”
“Rivalries (make the league) so interesting and it looks like their (sic) trying to kill that off too,” another added.
Earlier in the season, Drake caused controversy when he appeared in the broadcast booth during a game that honoured Raptors legend Vince Carter. Speaking to Devlin and his colleague Jack Armstrong, he said that it was “unfortunate we’re playing this goof tonight,” taking a shot at former Raptor DeMar DeRozan.
Drake also said that if the Raptors ever chose to retire DeRozan’s No. 10 jersey, he’d rip it down.
“If you ever put up a DeRozan banner, I’ll go up there and pull it down myself,” Drake said.
After the November game against the Sacramento Kings, which the Raps won 131-128, DeRozan heard about the Hotline Bling hitmaker’s comments. “He’s going to have a long way to climb,” the six-time NBA All-Star sarcastically said. “Tell him good luck.”
Drake’s rift with DeRozan was sparked after his former friend appeared in the music video for Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us — a diss number the Compton emcee wrote aimed at the Raptors’ Global Ambassador — earlier this summer.
On the track, which dropped in May, Lamar raps, “Say Drake, I hear you like ’em young / You better not ever go to cell block one / To any bitch that talk to him and they in love / Just make sure you hide your little sister from him.”
The lines alluded to a 2010 concert video that resurfaced nearly a decade later in which Drake invited a teenage fan onto the stage at a Denver show where he proceeded to dance and fondle her.
The chart-topping tune also made reference to DeRozan returning “home” to the United States after the Raptors dealt the clutch performer to the San Antonio Spurs back in 2018 as part of a trade package for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green.
“I’m glad DeRoz’ came home, ya’ll didn’t deserve him neither,” Lamar rapped on the single. The accompanying music video also contained other subtle digs at T.O., with one background player spotted in a Toronto Blue Jays cap. DeRozan later popped up onstage during Lamar’s The Pop Out: Ken & Friends concert in Los Angeles.
Drake’s other longtime NBA pal, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, was also at that show and the two have kept their distance ever since with the rapper alluding to the dissolution of their friendship in his recent track, Fighting Irish.
But although their friendship might be over, DeRozan still cherishes his time in Toronto. Returning to Chicago this week after spending the past three seasons with the Bulls, DeRozan praised the city that first drafted him. “Toronto will always be No. 1, first of all,” he said.
Elsewhere during Monday night’s game between the Raps and Warriors, Drake and Curry shared an embrace before tip-off.
In an interview with GQ, Curry had backed Drake as his feud with Lamar made headlines.
“I’m a big Drake guy. I’ve been for a long time,” he said. “I think obviously you know what it is for the rap industry to have that, but I still rock with Drake. Absolutely. Absolutely.”
Drake’s courtside behaviour has raised eyebrows over the years. Back in 2019, as the Raptors made their way through the playoffs, Drake caused a stir with his over-the-top shenanigans that took place on the sidelines at Scotiabank Arena.
His antics eventually caught the eye of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who considered taking action against the music maker.
“I think the issue for the league is that he has this ambassador-type role with the team,” Silver said. “So he is viewed a little differently than any fan sitting there.”