It took one game for Drake to become a major figure in the NBA Finals. Drake showed up to Game 1 in Toronto wearing a Dell Curry jersey, did all the stuff on the sideline you’ve come to expect from him, and following the Raptors’ win, did a little bit of jawing with Draymond Green.
The incident with Green got a ton of attention, because even though Green was adamant it was not a scuffle, athletes and fans (especially one of Drake’s magnitude) on the sideline chirping with one another is a big deal. It also helped that Drake talked some smack on eBay, which is … not exactly a place you’d expect to turn for this sort of thing.
Green, to his credit, is taking this all in stride. The Warriors’ star forward spoke to the media on Friday afternoon and claimed he’s not bothered by all of this, and that while he sees the double-standard in letting Drake get away with being hyper-animated on the sideline, he completely gets why it happens.
“Drake talking on the sideline, I think so many people make a big deal out of it,” Green said. “It is what it is. He’s a fan. He talks and it gets more attention because he’s Drake. So many people are complaining about it, like, ‘You don’t let any other fan do that.’ Yeah, any other fan is just not Drake, so they probably shouldn’t be able to do that. That’s just kind of how the cookie crumbles.”
Green went onto praise the work Drake has put in to get to the point where he has this much clout before saying that enjoys all the goings on with the Grammy Award-winning rapper.
“He’s worked his ass off to be who he is,” Green said. “I think we all know when you do that, you get more leash than others. I think there’s so much talk and the NBA needs to … no, they don’t. He worked to be who he is, you should get more leash. But I don’t mind it. It’s fun for me.”
Interactions between Drake and opposing players have become something to watch for during Raptors playoff games, and while it’s up to each individual to determine if that’s a good or a bad thing, it certainly adds a layer of drama to an already fascinating Finals matchup.
