On Wednesday night against the Brooklyn Nets, the Toronto Raptors celebrated their second annual “Drake Night” in honour of the team’s global ambassador.
As fans arrived at the Air Canada Centre, they were greeted by free souvenir t-shirts waiting on their seats, reminiscent of last season’s playoff series against the same Nets squad.
Highlights of the event included Drake’s pre-game introductions where he referred to Kyle Lowry as “The baby-faced assasin,” the Raptors Dance Pak performing to a medley of the artist’s hits, the team donning their beloved throwback purple jerseys, and last but not least, a 105-89 victory.
Drake even made a play-by-play guest appearance during the broadcast, insulting Joe Johnson’s haircut.
The Toronto-based rapper admitted he had the choice of when to schedule the promotion. Choosing the Nets was a no-brainer.
“If there’s anybody I want to beat, it’s the Nets.,” Drake told reporters prior to tip off. “I think if we have a rivalry at all, I think this would probably would be it. Obviously, I’ve got much love for New York and Brooklyn but in this particular arena at this particular moment, the one thing I want to do is knock out Brooklyn.”
Drake also went on to compare the current Raptors team to the cast of Degrassi, emphasizing the importance of setting team goals as opposed to personal ones.
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“Drake Night” was once again a tremendous hit among fans, as more than 20,000 packed inside the Air Canada Centre to take in the evening.
