The NBA Had Words with Drake About His Courtside Behaviour

BY Sarah MurphyPublished May 30, 2019

Drake has been the ultimate hypeman for the Toronto Raptors throughout their ongoing NBA playoff run, but apparently he has had a talking to from NBA officials about his sideline behaviour.
 
According to ESPN, the league has spoken to Drake to remind him about fan etiquette — even if he's the team's Global Ambassador.
 
The warning comes after Drake drew ire from viewers during the recent series against the Milwaukee Bucks for his sideline antics, which included leaving his seat to give Raps' head coach Nick Nurse a shoulder rub.
 
A message from NBA commissioner Adam Silver was issued earlier this year, reminding franchises to make their fan-conduct policies clear and to enforce them.
 
"I don't know how much he's on the court. It sounds like you guys are saying it's more than I realize," Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer previously told ESPN. "There's certainly no place for fans and, you know, whatever it is exactly that Drake is for the Toronto Raptors. 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."
 
It's becoming an annual affair; the league warned Drake to keep his language clean and quiet after verbal confrontations with Cleveland Cavaliers player Kendrick Perkins during the conference semi-finals series last year.
 
Luckily, Golden State Warriors aren't too bothered by Drake's presence ahead of Game 1 against the Raptors tonight.
 
"It's been entertaining," Warriors star Steph Curry said earlier this week. "I know it's a tricky situation with him being right there on the court, but at the end of the day, he's having fun — you can't hate on nobody having fun."
 
Golden State coach Steve Kerr, meanwhile, reacted to the impending Drake effect with a "Hotline Bling" dad joke. See that below.
 

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