Drake Playfully Taunted Former NBA Owner, Holding Nothing Back

Drake, the legendary artist and Toronto Raptors ambassador, playfully taunted former Philadelphia 76ers owner Michael Rubin throughout the Raptors’ triumphant journey to their first NBA championship in 2019.

In a recent appearance on Showtime’s All the Smoke podcast, Rubin shared a humorous anecdote about his interactions with Drake during and after the Eastern Conference Semifinals clash between the Raptors and the 76ers.

Rubin revealed that Drake sent him a photo of himself donning Sixers shorts during Game 7 of the playoffs and accompanied it with a playful message, saying, “I’m coming for you.” The billionaire, a Pennsylvania native, couldn’t help but feel a sense of foreboding upon seeing Drake in the opposing team’s attire. He jokingly referred to it as the “Drake Curse,” a superstition surrounding the artist’s support for sports teams.

“As soon as I saw him in Sixers shorts, I said, ‘We’re losing this f***ing game.’ That jinx-a** mutha****a.”

Rubin went on to recall the aftermath of the game, highlighting Drake’s relentless attempts to FaceTime him. Despite the heartbreaking loss caused by Kawhi Leonard’s buzzer-beating winner, the artist bombarded Rubin with FaceTime calls, leaving the CEO saying, “By the way, I’ve never seen someone FaceTime me more times and me ignore him more than after that game. He had no chill. We had just lost [to Kawhi’s shot], and he FaceTimed every two seconds. I just never picked up. I just went home depressed.”

It is worth noting that last October, Michael Rubin, the CEO of Fanatics, divested his 10 percent stake in Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, completing his exit as a limited partner of the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils. ESPN reports that Rubin’s decision was primarily driven by potential conflicts arising from Fanatics’ expansion into sports betting and individual player partnerships in the NBA and NHL.