The Toronto Raptors hung up their first retired jersey in the rafters of Scotiabank Arena.
That was Vince Carter as No. 15 was immortalized on Nov. 2. It was an emotional moment for Carter, the organization and fans across the world.
However, there was an unexpected occurrence that came out of it. Former Raptor DeMar DeRozan and iconic rapper Drake shared some words about one another.
DeRozan and Drake have been in a beef since DeRozan appeared in Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” music video.
Fellow former Raptor Fred VanVleet weighed in on the beef between the two on The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis:
“I hate to see it, man. Obviously, DeMar is someone that I’ve gone close to, someone like a big brother to me. Drake, I consider a friend and someone that I’ve got a lot of love and respect for. So I hate to see it between those two. Obviously, they’ve got their own personal relationship and that went however it went and went a lot of different ways. So I hope they figure out. I hope nothing crazy, nothing serious. I just hope everyone can figure it out. Yeah, I don’t like to see it.”
When it comes to whether DeRozan deserves his No. 10 to be retired, VanVleet thinks so:
“Yeah I think it should…we saw the impact that Vince had and then we saw it again with DeMar. He didn’t lead the team to the title but ultimately, he built that foundation, laid that foundation…so yeah, I would love to see that for him and for the city and for the team, but only time will tell.”
It seems like the Kings forward and Drake may have their differences. Although, VanVleet hopes this doesn’t become an issue down the line:
“I hope that this situation isn’t that deep to where it’s like we kind of change the legacy or the history of the basketball that was played…I believe all things can be reconciled as long as nobody is being hurt and nothing physical is happening. It’s men being men and I think they’ll figure it out.”
This is going to be something to monitor in the next few years as DeRozan nears the end of his career.
Former Raptors guard Fred VanVleet opens up about leaving Toronto
It was not an easy decision for Fred VanVleet to leave Toronto due to being a part of the 2019 championship team. He opened up about his decision to depart for the Houston Rockets in 2023.
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