Rapper Drake speaks during an NBA and Toronto Raptors press conference at the ACC in Toronto on Sept. 30, 2013.Peter Power/The Globe and Mail
Hip-hop star Drake stole the spotlight during the Toronto Raptors media day Monday. Here's the reaction of some players to the news the Toronto-born rap icon has become the NBA team's global ambassador:
"It's great for the city, it's great for the team, it's great for the franchise. With a global artist like that, being around and being a marketing guy, it's always really good to have something like that for the popularity of the team and the city and the organization."
– point guard Kyle Lowry
I just bought his album. I think he's amazing. I'm excited to see him doing well. He's not your ordinary rapper. He brings a lot of things with him: a lot of class, different types of fans and different types of business people."
– guard D.J. Augustin
"Drake is definitely a worldwide artist. And in my opinion, one of the best rappers in the game today. With him being from Toronto and him backing us, it's definitely big."
– guard DeMar DeRozan
"I think it's good for the city and for the fans, but for us, it doesn't [allow] us to work any less. … It's a brand. It's all the same to us. It's all pop culture – athletes, entertainers. What is he – a singer or a rapper? A sapper?"
– forward Rudy Gay
"A lot more people are going to recognize Toronto. … This is going to be good for the future and it's definitely going to build up Toronto's status."
– forward Amir Johnson
He's had such a big impact on the culture here. He moulds what the culture is in the hip-hop world and very much in the NBA world."
– forward Steve Novak
"Not only is he a talented musician, he's also a great person. The more people you can have like that surrounding you, the better."
– centre Aaron Gray