The Toronto Raptors played the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night and once again it was “Drake Night”.  The Toronto born rapper and the Raptors handed out over 19,000 custom OVO-Raptors shirts to lucky fans in attendance.  Drake also did special player intros.

Shay Marie

Drake player intros via SB Nation:

Jonas Valanciunas: “We’ve given him the street moniker of Big Science.”

Amir Johnson: “He recently got a tattoo of a Swiffer WetJet.”

Terrence Ross: “He moonlights as West Coast rapper Kurupt.”

Landry Fields: “We realized tonight we share the same family.”

Kyle Lowry: “He’s the baby-face assassin.”

Coach Dwane Casey: “The best-dressed man in the NBA.”

Also he didn’t have his throwback-jersey-lined jacket this time, instead he wore his label, OVO’s collaboration with Canadian outdoor-apparel maker Canada Goose limited-edition coat (more info on GQ).

Additionally, Drake brought some OVO merchandise to giveaway which included a OVO varsity jacket as well as the new OVO x Canada Goose freestyle vest (via Word on Road)

Drake later joined the ESPN broadcast, and — discussing the fine he got the Raptors for lightly recruiting Kevin Durant — name-checked Adam Silver … except he didn’t say “Silver”.  Either he’s throwing shots at Silver or he genuinely forgot who the new NBA commissioner is.

All was well as the Toronto Raptors beat the Brooklyn Nets 105-89.

*photos in gallery above*

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Drake is the biggest celebrity supporter of the Toronto Raptors, who recently revealed their new logo. Many are saying that he doesn’t like their logo. Hit the jump for details.

Via Complex Sports:

One day later, Drake reached out to Kelly, saying, “Actually this redesign was executed without me. My collaboration with [clothier] Mitchell & Ness comes out next season.” Kelly adds that, according to sources within Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the company which owns the Raptors, Drake isn’t happy with two things in particular.

First, the “execution.” By that, he apparently means the way in which the images were released. They were first shown briefly in a video released on Friday afternoon. That was quickly followed by a colour image posted to the team’s Facebook page. That was hastily pulled down, replaced by a black-and-white image. Then, much later in the day, a variety of logos were released, in varying colour schemes.

Kelly goes to claim that Drake is even more upset with the color scheme, which he had wanted in black and gold. “He wasn’t overruled,” said an MLSE source. “Overruled isn’t the right word, because it’s not like he had the final say.” As global ambassador, Drizzy gets nothing in return other than his own section in the ACC. So, maybe this should’ve been expected when dealing with those individuals in the Raptors’ front office. Or, could this be a turning point in what has been a budding relationship?

Click above gallery for pictures.

Tavia HartleyIFWT

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Lou Williams is clearly having a better Christmas than most of us as he hosted a holiday party with both of his eye catching girlfriends, Ashley & Rece. Williams is starting to become more famous for his threesome relationship than his play on the court, not that it’s a bad thing! He has already been spotted out and about in the Toronto area with the girls and the situation genuinely seems to be working just as fine as there appears to be no drama whatsoever. From the looks of the pics everyone was definitely happy during the party.

@IamJoeSports

Check the gallery

source

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Kyle Lowry was high on the list of All-Star snubs a season ago, and Raptors coach Dwane Casey wants to make sure it won’t happen again.  The Raptors currently have a 24-10 record in the 3rd spot of the Eastern Conference.  They managed to continue to perform well despite losing their leading scorer at the time, DeMar DeRozan who went down with an injury that forced him to miss the last 18 games.  Lowry has stepped up in DeRozan’s absence but the fans haven’t quite taken notice if you check the All-Star voting.

Shay Marie

Lowry is just fourth among guards in the East, and with John Wall and Dwyane Wade seemingly too far out of reach, in order to make the All-Star team, Lowry will need to be voted in as a reserve by the coaches. And Casey threatened physical violence to those that may choose to do otherwise.

“[I’m] very surprised,” Casey admitted after the Raptors’ Tuesday morning practice. “I hope our fans get out and vote and don’t put it in the hands of the coaches. And if the coaches don’t do it I’m probably going to get into a physical fight with those guys.”

“[The All-Star Game is] for the fans, but sometimes fans have their favourites and it has nothing to do with basketball,” said the Raptors’ coach. “I would challenge anyone to say that Kyle Lowry or Jimmy Butler are not two of the best players in the league right now.”

TSN (via ProBasketballTalk)

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Drake isn’t helping to fight his reputation as a fanboy… The Washington Wizards took on the Raptors in Toronto on Wednesday night and of course the Raptors Global Ambassador was in the building.  Drake likes to be playful and friendly with many of the players but it was just the wrong time and Paul Pierce wasn’t having it.

Shay Marie

DeMar DeRozan had just put on his moves, gotten to the elbow and drained the jumper that put Toronto up 95-93 with 12.9 seconds remaining. Washington called a timeout to advance the ball and draw up a play; they still were going to have one shot at sending the game into overtime (or maybe getting the win).

Paul Pierce came over to the sidelines to inbound the ball, and Drake reached out and grabbed his arm.

It’s done before Pierce is handed the ball, so it doesn’t impact the play. Pretty clearly, Drake was just trying to be that guy who is everybody’s friend and can joke around with them. Even at inappropriate times.

But the best part was Pierce was having none of it.

Washington missed the shot, and Toronto picked up the win, 95-93. That’s the second Raptors win over the Wizards in two weeks.

ProBasketballTalk

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Demar Derozan Did say pretty recently that he felt he was playing like complete trash . Well I don’t really see how trying to hit a 360 dunk on a break away run down the court in the first quarter of a basketball game is the best idea to make when YOU KNOW you haven’t been on you A Game. Welp! Hop into the post to Watch this Embarrassing video of Demar Derozan Fails At 360 Dunk. #IFWT

Demar Derozan Fails At 360 Slam And It Is Embarrassing

This Toronto Raptors Guard , Demar DeRozan decided to pull this Vince Carter Dunk Contest Jam as he raced down the court against the New York Knicks. UNLIKE Vince Carter homie missed terribly and it was embarrassing.

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Demar Derozan Fails At 360 Slam And It Is Embarrassing

This Turn over from Demar DeRozan may have been ugly, but his attempt to make up for it wasn’t so pretty either. Demar DeRozan tried to make up for his 360 dunk Fail with a Put Back Jam that ended up getting blocked and the ball ended up back with the Knicks. If you really pay attention and look close you can see the super disappointed teammates and the very disappointed crowd.

OHHH!!!!!!!!
awwwww…..

Check out Demar Derozan Fails At 360 Slam And It Is Embarrassing below !!!

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Demar Derozan Fails At 360 Slam And It Is Embarrassing

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Drake has been in LA for Coachella so the Toronto Raptors Global Ambassador wasn’t in the building this year for game 1 of the playoffs.  Raptors GM Masai Ujiri was on hand to give another pregame rally for the fans and once again he let out an expletive that costed him a heavy fine.  Though Drake couldn’t make it, he did post a response to show his support for Ujiri and the team.

Masai Ujiri was fined $35,000 and the Toronto Raptors were handed an additional $25,000 fine.  Drake posted a picture of Ujiri on his Instagram page and responded to the fine with lyrics from his song “Know Yourself” from his latest album If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late.

*photo in the gallery above*

Shay Marie: Twitter || Instagram

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Drake can be seen dapping up Washington Wizard, Paul Pierce, after Pierce’s Wizards defeated the Toronto Raptors and went up 2-0 in the series. Even after Pierce said Toronto couldn’t defeat the Wizards and the Raptors GM went on a rant saying they, “didn’t give a sh*t what Pierce said.”

@EmilioIsland

Drake, who is the Toronto Raptors global ambassador, has had a cloudy reputation as a “band-wagon fan.” Being friendly with the opposing teams main trash talker, who went for 20-points in game 1, probably isn’t the best idea when you work for your home town team.

Check out the video of Toronto’s GM ranting on Pierce:

Source

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Playoff basketball is here, and the Washington Wizards are leaving little doubt in everyones mind that they’re here to compete for a championship. Watch John Wall speed down the court for a fast break and finish against 3 Toronto Raptor defenders, then pumping his chest and screaming, “this is my city!” All while staring in the direction of Mr. Ovoxo himself, Drake, who was seated court side.

@EmilioIsland

All the talk this series has been about Paul Pierce and his comments towards the Toronto Raptors, but John Wall has been allowing his play to do all the talking he needs. Scoring 19 points and dishing out 15 dimes, Wall propelled his team to 3-0 series lead over the struggling Toronto Raptors squad.

After being named the starting guard for the eastern conference in the all-star game, Wall seems to be finally getting the recognition he deserves as one of the best players in the NBA. Getting your team to the playoffs is no easy feat, but leading your team to victory in the playoffs is the next step in solidify your status in the NBA, and Wall is doing just that.

Wall never ceases to amaze with his acrobatic finishes, but he might just be saving his best work for the playoffs. Watch Wall spin through 3 defenders and finish at the basket in this video:

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Drake gets a lot of flack for always supporting front running teams or the star athlete of the moment, but he does have genuine love for his Raptors. Unfortunately or him however the Raptors are basically being run out of the Playoffs by the Wizards so he might not have much time left this season to cheer for them. With that in mind, Drizzy traveled to D.C. to watch the Raptors try and get back in the series. The moment he walked in the boo’s started but he handled it like a pro, taking a couple bows and enjoying it. It was all for not though as the Raptors lost again and now are down 3-0 in the best of seven series so it is pretty much a wrap at this point.

@IamJoeSports

Drake getting booed by the crowd

A video posted by Chris (@dcmadness27) on Apr 24, 2015 at 5:19pm PDT

source

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When Drake released his latest album If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, it created a whirlwind on social media with tons of memes popping up.  Drake got in on the action himself by creating a website that allows fans to create their own version of the album art using the same font.  Well now it’s come back to bite Drake in the a** as fans used it to troll him after the Toronto Raptors got swept by the Washington Wizards in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

Paul Pierce has been at the center of the battle between the Wizards and Raptors and poked fun at Drake by posting one of the memes on his Twitter and Instagram accounts after completing the sweep.  Pierce also posted a meme of himself as “King of the North” on his Facebook account.

*photo in gallery above*

Sidenote: Though Pierce has shrugged off Drake during the game in the past, he did dap him up after game 2 of this series so it’s all in good fun.

Shay Marie: Twitter || Instagram

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According to a report from ESPN, five teams will be getting makeovers for next season: the 76ers, Bucks, Clippers, Hawks and Raptors.  The looks haven’t been officially released yet but several leaks have hit the Internet.  We have a first look at the Raptors potential new uniforms including a salute to their Global Ambassador Drake.  The Raptors have shown a lot of love to Drake with several “Drake Nights”, shirts and other memorabilia.

*photos in gallery above*

Shay Marie: Twitter || Instagram

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Tristan Thompson reportedly rejected a five-year, $80 million contract offer from the Cavaliers.  So just how much does he want?

Apparently, $94,343,125 – a max contract – and not a penny less.

via Bleacher Report (h/t ProBasketballTalk):

A league source tells me that his agent, Rich Paul, has already made it clear to the Cleveland Cavaliers that Thompson will not sign a long-term deal unless it is a max deal. And otherwise, he is prepared to sign a one-year qualifying offer with the additional knowledge, according to the source, that Paul believes that he can get a max deal with the Raptors next summer.

Tristan Thompson certainly isn’t worth a max contract but he has two things working in his favor.

1. If the Cavaliers lose Thompson, they won’t have cap space to sign a near-equal outside replacement. They can keep Thompson only because they have his Bird Rights.

2. His relationship with Paul, who also represents LeBron James. The Cavaliers surely want to keep LeBron happy, and LeBron said Thompson should spend the rest of his career in Cleveland.

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Just when you think Stephen Curry can’t get any better, he does.  During the Golden State Warriors 95-87 preseason win over the Toronto Raptors, Curry made an amazing play.

First Curry made a behind-the-back pass to Klay Thompson who dished it to Draymond Green who kicked it back to Curry who was waiting on the three-point line.  Curry threw up the shot and dapped his teammate Andre Iguodala while the ball was still in the air, why?  Because he’s Chef Curry and he knew the shot was money.

Here’s two angles of the play:

Sheesh RT @_LXXXVI: RT @theDYNAMICS: I know Steph Curry didn’t do this last night. pic.twitter.com/MuhAKQjdq2

— Shaina Auxilly (@Shay_Marie) October 6, 2015

Curry giving a high five before it goes in hahaha #splash #Warriors #WarriorsGround @StephenCurry30 @andre pic.twitter.com/IdQEZkhanz — Zack Moreno (@zrmoreno) October 6, 2015

Shay Marie: Twitter || Instagram

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It’s that time of the year again where the Toronto Raptors are hosting another “Drake Night” in honor of their global ambassador and most popular supporter.  Instead of just getting special t-shirts this time, the Raptors created a Hotline Bling box where fans can make their own parody of Drake’s now infamous video.

All ticket holders will also receive a limited edition OVO x Raptors sweatshirt and sweatband.  It seems really great to be a Raptors fan.

*photos in gallery above*

Shay Marie: Twitter || Instagram

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#DrakeNight was total success for the Toronto Raptors including a 103-99 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.  The fans were gifted with limited edition OVO x Raptors sweatshirts and sweatbands and there was a “Hotline Bling” box set up for fans to recreate their own version of Drake’s infamous video and dance moves.  The man of the hour was of course in the building and his special guest was his adorable mother.

Drake exercised his announcer abilities, doing the starting lineup player intros for the Raptors.  He then took his courtside seat alongside his mother and cheered his team on.

He also hooked up with Toronto’s famous councillor Norm Kelly.  Drake was also given a new custom Toronto Raptors jacket which was presented to him by Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri.

*photos in gallery above*

“I took a chance on being myself” – @Drake #DrakeNight pic.twitter.com/6I3rkYXZ3M — xoNecole (@xonecole) November 26, 2015

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It was reported that DeMar DeRozan would likely opt out of the final year of his contract with the Toronto Raptors.  The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly interested in him but it looks like DeRozan is staying put in the 6.

Via SportsNet:

“That’s one you thing you can never question: my loyalty to the city,” DeRozan told host Joey Vendetta on the Jeff Blair Show. “How much I really love and appreciate the team and the organization. I think all the fans understand that. A lot of times they don’t understand how contracts or things like that. But I’ve always stressed that this is where I want to be my whole career.”

Apparently, the feeling is mutual. Raptors GM Masai Ujiri said in a TV interview recently that the Raptors are going to be aggressive about re-signing DeRozan and feel good about their chances:

“A new contract is what DeMar is going for and we feel we have a good shot,” Raptors GM Masai Ujiri said Thursday evening on Prime Time Sports. “This is his team, this is a team that he knows very well, loves the city, is well-loved here, and we can offer him a year extra. There are so many things, so we feel comfortable.”

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Drake and the Toronto Raptors have become synonymous.  The Canadian rapper is the Global Ambassador for the team and has helped them expand.  In an interview with Complex UK, Patrick Patterson and James Johnson discussed the global games and Drake’s influence.

via Complex:

Do you think the Raptors’ association with Drake has helped to build your UK fan base?
PP: I hope so. We all know that there are a lot of Drake fans across the world and there might not be too many Raptors fans from Toronto that converted from Drake, but it might happen elsewhere. Hopefully he continues to improve and get better and more people in the UK might get behind it.

JJ: Yeah, I agree. Jay Z did the same with the Brooklyn Nets but Drake is such a mogul that it definitely boosted the Raptors and more kids are now probably playing 2K16 with the Raptors because of him!

What’s music like in your locker room on game day?
PP: Oh it’s nothing but hip-hop so Young Thug, Drake, Rick Ross, Weezy, Rich Homie Quan…

Have you had to put a ban on Meek Mill?
PP: Oh yeah, Meek Mill has been banned for a long time. No one plays Meek Mill.

Meek Mill’s beef with Drake has cost him a lot of fans.

Shay Marie: Twitter || Instagram

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Nothing tops the Oklahoma City Thunder v. San Antonio Spurs insane finish in game 2, but Tuesday night between the Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors provided a crazy finish of their own.

Kyle Lowry hit a buzzerbeating half-court shot to send the game to overtime but then the Raptors went cold as the Heat took over.  With under two minutes remaining, shots from DeMar DeRozan and DeMarre Carroll cut the Heat’s lead down to three.  Dwyane Wade gave the Raptors one more chance by botching an inbound pass but they didn’t capitalize.  Wade made up for his mistake by stealing the ball from DeRozan.  Wade then got up off the floor and ran with the ball down the court to hit the game sealing layup and-1 off the foul by Carroll as the Heat won 102-96.

Many touted Wade’s vintage defense and scoring as he hit seven of his 24-points in overtime.  But others accused him of traveling, noting that you can’t get up and keep possession of the ball.  Usually when a player scrambles on the floor for possession, they kick it out to another teammate.

Dwyane Tyrone Wade, Jr. seals the deal in Toronto!

⚡️ pic.twitter.com/u84P3OVzcV

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) May 4, 2016

“D-Wade did a great job of reading the play and jumping toward the ball, trying to take the ball away from me,” DeRozan said.

“We had to win the game twice tonight,” said Wade.

Shay Marie: Twitter || Instagram

The Miami Heat beat the Toronto Raptors 102-96 on Tuesday night, taking a 1-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semi-finals series.  Toronto city Councillor Norm Kelly, dubbed “6Dad” – for his support of Drake and the city – usually hands out paper L’s to teams the Raptors beat.  Since they lost this time, Miami Heat fans flooded his mentions but he had a funny clapback for them.

*photos in gallery*

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