The Toronto Raptors hosted the NBA’s best team through (nearly) the season’s first quarter on Friday night. Toronto played the Boston Celtics, and the C’s clipped the Raptors with a 108-105 victory to improve to 10-2 on the season. That wasn’t the only story to emerge out of Toronto, though. One of the city’s most visible celebrities took a spin in the booth. That’s right: Drake appeared on the Toronto broadcast.
TSN aired Friday night’s In-Season Tournament Group Play matchup between the Celtics and Raptors. The multi-platinum recording artist joined the Raptors’ booth to call the game during the game. Things got a bit wild and hilarious while Drake was on the call.
Bleacher Report caught some of the action as it happened at the game at Scotiabank Arena.
“Payton Pritchard’s out there looking like a crypto scammer”
Drake was wildin' on the Raptors broadcast tonight 😅💀 pic.twitter.com/wNRwnvicIK
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 18, 2023
“Boys, I feel like I’m in a time-lapse right now,” Drake told the commentators. “First of all, this guy’s not Nick Nurse. I haven’t been here in a while,” he said to laughter in the booth. Nurse, of course, no longer coaches the Raptors. He’s the Philadelphia 76ers’ head coach, while the Raptors boast Darko Rajaković, who previously made history as the first NBA G League coach to be born outside of the United States.
And Drake didn’t stop there.
“I don’t know where we’re at. The court is a completely different color. Payton Pritchard is out there looking like a crypto scammer. This is crazy! What’s going on, boys?!” Drake asked incredulously. That’s quite a hilarious diss of Pritchard.
The commentary seemed far from annoyed by the musician’s presence, which is always a plus. Sometimes, outside interaction can be hit-or-miss, and it’s not helped when chemistry isn’t apparent. But the fun nature of the clip and likely the rest of the scene last night at Scotiabank was lighthearted and innocuous.
