The Toronto Raptors' refusal to ditch Drake cost them $25,000

The Toronto Raptors' refusal to ditch Drake cost them $25,000
(Image credit: David Becker/Getty Images)

Rapper, bandwagon-hopper, and Toronto Raptors "global ambassador" Drake cost his hometown team $25,000 for courting Thunder star Kevin Durant with an impromptu sales pitch. That much we knew after the league announced the fine earlier this week. But late Tuesday, The Globe and Mail added another wrinkle to the story: The NBA gave the Raptors a chance to dump Drake and avert the fine; they refused.

The brouhaha stems from a Drake concert earlier this month in Toronto, attended by Durant, where the Canadian rapper urged the league MVP to take his talents north. The remark was close enough to a sales pitch for the NBA to fine the Raptors for tampering, since Durant is under contract for another couple of years.

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Jon Terbush

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.