Crowd honours Gord Downie with standing ovation at Raptors game

The Tragically Hip lead singer Gord Downie salutes fans during the first half of game three of an NBA playoff series basketball game between the Toronto Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers in Toronto on Friday, May 5, 2017. (Frank Gunn/CP)

The Toronto Raptors were in the presence of royalty on Friday night, and we’re not talking about King James.

Canadian music icon Gord Downie and rapper Drake were each in attendance at Air Canada Centre for Game 3 of the Raptors’ series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The two visited after the second quarter, which made for a pretty cool halftime show of sorts.

Eric Smith on Twitter

Canadian music unites at the @raptors game. @drake paying respect (and vice versa) to Gord Downie. #raptors #rtz #thetragicallyhip

Drake, a lifelong Raptors fan, is a global ambassador for the team and can often be found sitting courtside.

Downie, one of Canada’s most beloved musicians, received a warm standing ovation from the crowd. The Tragically Hip frontman and Secret Path creator was also presented with a custom Raptors jersey. Downie was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer last May.

Toronto Raptors on Twitter

Legend. #RTZ #WeTheNorth https://t.co/i6nygJRBen

Downie is also a noted hockey fan, with several of his most treasured songs centring around the game. He has been known to frequent the ACC for Maple Leafs games, and was also seen watching World Cup of Hockey games alongside Braden Holtby. Most recently, Downie was in attendance for Game 4 of the Ottawa Senators-Boston Bruins series, watching the game alongside Bobby Orr.

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