Yardbarker
x
All the ways Drake imposes himself on the sports world
Ron Turenne/NBAE via Getty Images

All the ways Drake imposes himself on the sports world

Even though he is the one of the most successful artists in music, the sports world has a particular view of Drake. He’s the guy who is shooting air balls in a Kentucky warmup, showing up to locker rooms unannounced and looking very awkward, clapping in NBA players’ faces from his court side seats at the Air Canada Centre thanks to an arrangement with the Raptors as their ambassador, and just generally being around a bit too much.

Drake has name dropped Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson in his music. He made an entire song called "6 Man" dedicated to Lou Williams. He put an image of Joe Carter's 1993 World Series clinching home run as the cover to his Meek Mill diss track "Back to Back." On "Thank Me Now" he said, “Damn I swear sports and music are so synonymous, cause we want to be them, and they want to be us.” Drake is a living embodiment of those lyrics. He's a chameleon. Just like how he has been criticized for stealing from other cultures with his music, Drake has done the same with his involvement in sports, essentially transforming into a multitude of roles and personalities where he sees fit. Here are a few of those roles:

Tim Duncan

When Kevin Garnett officially announced his retirement in 2016, there was an outpouring of tributes from players and coaches around the league. And then there was Drake, who posted a message to Instagram that sounded like he had just completed a 20-year rivalry on the floor with KG:

He really said "gonna miss our trash talk rivalry KG" like he was Tim Duncan. Hold on man, he really said "the game was never as fun as when you were on the court." This Instagram post was the perfect example of the inherent corniness that has come to define Drake and made him one of the most meme-able figures in the history of North American civilization.

The media

Drake was in Miami for Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals between the Spurs and the Heat. After his pal LeBron James clinched his second consecutive title, Drake tried to get into the locker room to be part of the celebration, and was denied because he didn't have a media credential. His response: "I am media."

Pro-tip, Drake, next time you might want to learn a thing or two from the legendary Phil Braun.

Patrick Ewing

Recently, Drake had to postpone the remaining three shows of his Summer Sixteen tour because of an ankle injury. Back in 2009, Drake tore his ACL, returned to perform a few weeks later, then fell on stage and needed to get surgery. All of this is no joke, but let's check back into Drake's Instagram feed again, where this time he sounds and looks like Patrick Ewing getting his knees iced after dropping 40 at the Garden:

Free agent recruiter

As the global ambassador for the Raptors, one of Drake's main responsibilities is to illegally recruit marquee free agents to Toronto. With the growing popularity of his annual OVO Fest, a concert held during the summer in Toronto that attracts plenty of big names in the music industries and NBA players who make plans to be at the concert, Drake used the venue in 2014 to make a pitch to Kevin Durant, who was still a few years away from free agency:

The result: the Raptors were fined $25,000 for the incident and KD is now a Golden State Warrior.

The hypeman with All-Star Weekend in Toronto last season, Drake was the unofficial host of the event. He was very prominently featured at all the main events, although Sting was a feature performer while Drake watched from his court side seat. There was one bit of theater for Drake to participate in, which was to stand as a cheerleader while the All-Star starters were introduced:

Why didn't the NBA let Drake cook and actually introduce the starters? He's done it plenty of times for Drake Nights in Toronto:

The court side agitator

This was the exact moment when I said to myself: "Yo, Drake is doing way too much."

Update (5/1/18):

Okay, here's another prime example from Game 1, Cavs-Raptors.

An actual basketball player

We all know about Drake shooting air balls at Kentucky, but my favorite "Drake thinks he's an athlete" moment might be during the 2015 playoffs when the Raptors and Wizards faced off in the first round. Before Game 2, Raptors PR announced Drake would be holding media availability before the start of the game. Wait, what? What could Drake possibly say in a presser an hour before a playoff game??? Luckily, the entire thing was cancelled because Drake couldn't make it in time due to traffic. We'll never know. The Raptors were swept.

The signature shoe guy

Drake has collaborated with the Jordan Brand on several occasions, most recently with the release of the OVO Jordan 12s:

Jordan made the 12s legendary by playing in those sneakers in the Flu Game during the 1997 Finals. If Drake wants to one-up one of his many idols, he might need to strap on these OVO 12s and leg out the final few stops of his tour. Sometimes that's how legacies are defined.

A victory cigar

This is probably the role Drake will be most remembered for. He's not even a victory cigar. He's like a post-victory cigar, in that you're never exactly sure who he will be celebrating with as the game is going on, but you can definitely be sure he will be celebrating with the winning team.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

+

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.