Drake may have just reignited some Raptors drama. In a recently leaked track, the Toronto rapper seemed to take aim at DeMar DeRozan, suggesting the team’s championship dreams were never realistic until Kawhi Leonard came along.
“When you was part of the team we used to be planning our Mexico trips in the spring, we must’ve been dealing in the spur of the moment, cause why (Kawhi) did we think you could get us a ring?” Drake rapped.
It’s no secret that Drake is a longtime Raptors fan, and he was sitting courtside during their only championship run in 2019. For years leading up to that season, the Raptors were routinely among the higher seeds in the East, and they even finished first in the standings in 2018.
Back then, their core consisted of Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Serge Ibaka, Norman Powell, and Pascal Siakam. They went 59-23 only to lose to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. That series wasn’t just bad for Toronto, it was an utter disaster that ended in a complete (and embarrassing) 4-0 sweep.
The good news is, it forced the Raptors to change course. They replaced Dwane Casey with Nick Nurse, but the bigger move was trading for Kawhi. At the time, Leonard was considered one of the best young stars in the NBA, and his previous championship with the Spurs gave the Raptors confidence that he’d lead them to a title.
It was a major risk to trade for Leonard, considering he only had one year left on his contract, but it paid off with the ultimate prize. That season, Kawhi led the Raptors to the second seed in the East, and his ability to defend, score, and close games was enough to win the Finals over the Golden State Warriors.
After years of playoff heartbreak, Kawhi gave the franchise what it never had and cemented his place as a hero of the city. While Kawhi left the team just a few weeks after his championship parade, his legacy remains as the only star to lead the Raptors to a title.
For someone like Drake, who was watching from the very beginning, it must have felt surreal to watch how much his team transformed over just a few years. While DeRozan tried his best, it’s clear looking back that he didn’t have what it took to overcome the challenge presented by LeBron James. Despite being an All-Star, DeMar wasn’t at the level the Raptors needed to get over the hump and end their championship drought.
Kawhi Leonard was the answer, and his unexpected run in 2019 will remain ingrained in the hearts of Raptors fans forever. While DeRozan will always have a place in Toronto, many fans still associate his tenure with countless disappointing playoff losses.
Drake’s bar may sting for DeRozan, but it reflects a hard truth most Raptors fans already accepted. Toronto needed a different kind of star to reach the mountaintop, and Kawhi Leonard delivered. DeRozan’s legacy with the Raptors is secure as the face of an era, but it will always sit in Kawhi’s shadow because only one of them brought a championship to Canada.
