Team ambassador asked Toronto crowd to show support for Durant’s move to franchise…
The Toronto Raptors have reportedly been fined by the NBA after rapper and team ambassador Drake made a pitch to Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant.
According to ESPN sources, the fine is for $25,000 and it comes after Drake asked a Toronto crowd to show its support for Durant moving to Toronto during a performance at a concert at which the NBA MVP was present.
Naturally, the crowd responded by cheering and chanting his name, but the league have regarded it as a public recruiting pitch from a team employee which is against the regulations.
“Before we leave, I just want to show one of my brothers something,” Drake told the crowd.
“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 play in Toronto. Let him know what would happen.”
Durant is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2016 and speculation has already begun over where his long-term future will lie outside of Oklahoma City.
A return home to Washington with the Wizards appeared to be the most likely move, but ultimately, the 25-year-old will not be short of options moving forward with the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers all reportedly monitoring his situation.
All three of those franchises are understood to be positioning themselves to have sufficient salary-cap space to make a move, but it will come down to where Durant sees a successful future, with the Thunder still undoubtedly in his thinking.
However, Drake will likely be put off from repeating his antics from last week given the fine that he has incurred for the Raptors for violating the NBA’s anti-tampering rules.
