It wasn’t quite his Worst Behaviour, but Drake and his Nonstop courtside Energy during the NBA Eastern Conference finals was criticized by many onlookers and caught the attention of NBA brass.
According to ESPN’s Michele Steele, the league “spoke to the Toronto Raptors about Drake’s activity and presence on the sideline” ahead of Toronto’s NBA Finals matchup with the Golden State Warriors.
The international superstar and official Raptors’ global ambassador has always been an animated courtside fan, but he made headlines during Toronto’s series against the Milwaukee Bucks for both chirping Giannis Antetokounmpo and for leaving his seat to give Raptors head coach Nick Nurse a little shoulder rub.
Nurse said he was so focused on the game that he didn’t even realize what Drake had done until after the fact, while Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer later told reporters on a conference call he didn’t appreciate what Drake did.
“There’s certainly no place for fans and, you know, whatever it is exactly that Drake is for the Toronto Raptors [on the court],” Budenholzer said. “You know, to be on the court, there’s boundaries and lines for a reason, and like I said, the league is usually pretty good at being on top of stuff like that.”
This isn’t the first time the NBA has talked to the Raptors about Drake’s involvement during games.
One year ago, during Toronto’s second-round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Drake was involved in a heated verbal exchange with Cavs player Kendrick Perkins. It never escalated to a physical altercation but security and several Cavs players got in between the two men.
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