Drake has been a devoted basketball fan, showing up to several NBA games during the season and hanging out with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.
The Canadian rapper accompanied James at a game of the forward’s son and Sierra Canyon guard, Bronny, earlier this year. Drake then caught top with the Lakers All-Star in Toronto, making a $1 million donation to his I PROMISE school.
The 35-year-old artist has taken his interest in basketball to another level, launching the Sanctuary Basketball League (SBL) and competing against his friends on the court inside his Toronto mansion. Drake’s NTIG team has just defended the SBL title — with the rapper channeling his inner Kobe Bryant to seal the victory:
"I did what Kobe did in Game 7 against the Celtics. Shots not falling, you play f*****g defense." 😂 @Drake and his OVO team win back-to-back championships in his SBL league 🏆 pic.twitter.com/u4LnpAWo4v
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) June 15, 2022
Drake drilled a game-winning triple to claim the title in the previous SBL season back in March.
Even though he is an ardent Toronto Raptors fan, the artist has worn Purple and Gold jerseys in public to show love for Bryant. Drake even featured tops with both of the legendary Laker’s iconic numbers in the “Tootsie Slide” video.
Jabari Walker tells stories of dad Samaki’s time with Bryant & Shaquille O’Neal
After a recent pre-draft workout, Colorado’s Jabari Walker spoke about his dad’s time with the Lakers back in the early 2000s. Having played for L.A. between 2001-2003, Samaki Walker would tell Jabari stories about sharing the court with Purple and Gold legends: Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.
One reportedly included Samaki blocking O’Neal’s dunk in practice.
“His best stories, he tells me that him and Shaq were lined up at a practice and Shaq said ‘alright, I’m gonna dunk on you’ and he was standing under the rim and Shaq went to go try to dunk on him and he blocked it and then Shaq fell backwards,” Jabari said.
“He tells me that story, he tells me it’s true but I’ve never seen video. But apparently Phil Jackson wrote about it in his book, it’s documented somewhere.”
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