Raptors: Drake’s preseason broadcasting was awesome, as expected

The Toronto Raptors are lucky to have one of the more visible celebrity superfans on their payroll, as “global ambassador” Drake can be seen frequently roaming the courtside seats when the squad is in town for home games. He made his first appearance in over a year during a preseason victory against the Houston Rockets.

Drake picked a perfect time to tune in, as he witness a very young Raptors team playing to the best of their abilities. OG Anunoby was cooking, Precious Achiuwa was dominating, and the new-look squad’s emphasis on generating chaos on defense while getting out in transition on offense has worked like a charm so far.

Naturally, when Drake is in the building, you try to get him on live TV. Drizzy’s excitement for the game was palpable, and Toronto’s collection of characters gave him plenty of chances to drop gems on the TSN broadcast.

One of the more jaw-dropping plays in this game involved Malachi Flynn banking in a 3-pointer from half-court to end the third quarter. Drake might not be as experienced on the mic as Matt Devlin, but his “let’s go!” certainly did the job.

Drake was in the building to support the Toronto Raptors.

The Raptors are starting to unveil a new collection of young, versatile players that everyone hopes can remain in Toronto for a very long time. They got their first introduction to Drake last night, as Scottie Barnes and Dalano Banton embraced him before tip-off.

Banton, who had his best game with the Raptors thanks to 12 points, might’ve earned a few new nicknames thanks to Drake last night, as he was called “D-Boy” on the broadcast. That honestly has a nice ring to it, and if he sticks in Toronto, the nickname should stick as well.

One interesting nugget that Drake dropped on the broadcast was how much Kawhi Leonard misses the fans in Toronto and the feeling of being a Raptor. While Leonard might be plying his trade with his hometown Clippers now, Drake claimed that every time he runs into Kawhi, No. 2 showers him with praise and mentions how much he enjoyed Toronto.

After spending a year in a hockey arena down in Tampa, normalcy is starting to return around this franchise. Drake showing off his usual blend of unmatched, unwavering passion for this team had to put a smile on the faces of Raptors fans all across this country. Let’s just hope Drake has more to cheer about in the regular season.