The Toronto Raptors debuted their new City Edition jerseys and In-Season Tournament court against the Boston Celtics on Nov. 17.
The court and jerseys will be worn throughout the duration of the tournament, making for a complementary pairing. Toronto’s City Edition jerseys have featured black and gold, paying homage to famous rapper Drake’s brand OVO.
Toronto has made these OVO-themed jerseys a staple through the past few years. It is hard to go wrong with black and gold, plus it matches the court. The black and grey of the court made the gold jerseys pop, making it a complimentary pairing.
Unfortunately, the Raptors lost their first In-Season Tournament game 108-105. Toronto fell down by as many as 16 points, fighting back in the third quarter, but couldn’t get over the hump.
Drake was at the game courtside after an extended absence:
.@Drake watching @NBA In-Season Tournament action in Toronto! pic.twitter.com/WOSYCW0V5b
— NBA Canada (@NBACanada) November 18, 2023
Drake has dropped a lot of music in the past two years, so he has not been able to be at his signature seat courtside. The NBA and Raptors have changed a lot since Drake’s last appearance. Drake made sure to let people know about it when he appeared on the Raptors telecast:
“I feel like I’m in a time lapse right now. First of all, this guy’s not Nick Nurse. I haven’t been here in a while. I don’t know where we’re at the court’s a completely different color.”
Drake was talking about Raptors new head coach Darko Rajakovic who the team hired after they fired Nick Nurse.
Despite the loss, Drake made sure to crack some jokes while he was on the broadcast. He poked some fun at Celtics guard Payton Pritchard:
“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
Drake left Raptors fans with some memorable moments in his return to Scotiabank Arena.
Next up for Toronto
The Raptors have now lost two straight and will look to turn things around as they continue their home stand on Nov. 19 against the Detroit Pistons.
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