The life of being an NBA player is one filled with flights all over the country, and for the unadjusted, it can take some time to learn the rhythms of team flight schedules, which can fluctuate between overnight trips after a game or flights the next morning.
As such, many teams have instituted rules that fine players for delaying departure times by being late to a team flight, because players young and old will sometimes put the team on their time, either purposefully or accidentally and need to pay the price. In Golden State, the fine is apparently $500 per person who shows up late to a team flight, and Steve Kerr doesn’t care what exactly your excuse is — or who you are — because he’ll get that $500 from anyone.
He illustrated this with a story on Sunday in a press conference when he was asked about the relationship many on the Warriors have with Drake, as Golden State was facing Toronto, and Kerr offered up a tale of how one time Stephen Curry and Draymond Green were late to a postgame flight from the Bay to L.A. because they were hanging out with Drake at the arena. As the story goes, Drake was actually catching a ride with them on the plane and Kerr made all three cough up $500 for it.
Drake once paid a $500 fine, along with Steph and Draymond, for being late to the Warriors' team plane 😂💰
Steve Kerr explains the story: pic.twitter.com/dncB2jf70N
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 11, 2021
Drake has famously rapped about the Warriors — and specifically Curry and Green — a number of times, most notably saying “Golden State running practice at my house” on “Summer Sixteen,” and earlier this offseason video emerged of Steph and Drake having a shooting contest at the latter’s home court. While he might not have the skills on the court to ever make it in the NBA, he can at least say he got a rare NBA experience in being fined by a team, which honestly is more rare than playing in a game.
