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Just last month, Drake scolded Australia’s Nick Kyrgios after the tennis player claimed avoiding the rapper’s music helped him beat Rafael Nadal. However, it now looks as though Drake’s own ill-chosen words have warranted a US$25,000 fine for his favourite sports team, the Toronto Raptors.
As ESPN reports, the Canadian rapper acts as the global ambassador for the NBA team and broke league rules during a recent concert in Toronto. During the show, Drake reportedly gave a shout-out to Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant, who was in the crowd watching the performance.
“Before we leave, I just want to show one of my brothers something,” Drake told the audience. “You know, my brother Kevin Durant was kind enough to come to the show tonight and watch us. I just want him to see what would happen if he came to… Toronto. Let him know what would happen.”
Durant, whose contract with Oklahoma City runs out in 2016, received an overwhelming ovation. Unfortunately, the seemingly innocent shout-out was ruled in violation of the league’s anti-tampering rules, which state that players cannot be pitched by teams while they are still under contract.
$25,000 is hardly an exorbitant sum for an NBA team, but being that Drake is supposed to be bringing revenue in for the organisation — the team sponsor Drake Nights and sell Drake-specific Raptors shirts — getting them fined five figures for a shout-out is a little counterproductive.
Watch: Drake Lint-Rolls His During Raptors Game
