How the Raptors perform after Drake releases new projects
Toronto Raptors global ambassador Drake hasn't been around Air Canada Center since November, but don't think he isn't helping his team from afar.
Drake was holed up in Calabasas, Calif., for months working tirelessly on his new playlist (not an album), "More Life," which dropped over the weekend. Champagne Papi's latest project is a global phenomenon that's shattering streaming records left and right.
As always, Drake's success is also Toronto's success. Coincidentally, the Raptors haven't lost since "More Life" dropped. They're 3-0, and playing some of their best basketball despite missing three-time All-Star Kyle Lowry.
Toronto thrashed the Indiana Pacers by 25, held the red-hot Miami Heat to a season low in scoring at home, and even snapped an 11-game losing streak dating back three seasons to the Chicago Bulls.
One might think it's all coincidence, but there's a long history between the Raptors and the city's prodigal son. Each time Drake releases a new project, something immediately happens for the Raptors.
What happens after an album drops?
Drake's albums have led to immediate success for the Raptors.
Album | Release Date | What happened |
---|---|---|
Thank Me Later | June 15, 2010 | Bosh leaves, DeRozan says "I got us" |
Take Care | November 15, 2011 | NBA, NBPA tenatively end lockout |
Nothing Was the Same | September 24, 2013 | Raptors hire Drake as global ambassador |
Views | April 29, 2016 | Raptors beat Indiana for 1st 7-game playoff win |
It starts with "Thank Me Later," which dropped shortly after franchise player Chris Bosh left for the Miami Heat. Things were tough up North, but an unlikely hero emerged two weeks after Drake's project dropped.
Unheralded sophomore DeMar DeRozan boldly declared the franchise was his. It seemed ridiculous at the time, but DeRozan has since eclipsed many of Bosh's records and surpassed CB4 in both franchise success and relevance.
The effects of "Take Care" mostly benefited the league as a whole. Eleven days after its release, the NBA and NBPA reached a tentative agreement on a new CBA, which effectively ended the ugly 2011 lockout. Drake takes the "global" part of "global ambassador" very seriously.
"Nothing Was the Same," an iconic Drake record, proved to be such a huge hit that the Raptors hired him as their global ambassador one week after the album's release. Drake instantly became the face of the franchise (mostly for the better).
NWTS also proved so influential that former Raptors power forward Amir Johnson handed out free copies to total strangers on Toronto's busiest street corner. Lesson here: rep the Raptors, and the Raptors will rep you back.
"Views" had an even bigger impact. Two days after its release, the Raptors finally got the monkey off their backs by winning their first-ever seven-game playoff series. Toronto emerged victorious in a grimy Game 7 over the Indiana Pacers.
Drizzy was on hand to witness Toronto's rise.
What happens after a mixtape drops?
Mixtape | Release Date | What happened |
---|---|---|
Comeback Season | September 1, 2007 | Raptors make the playoffs |
So Far Gone | February 13, 2009 | Jermaine O'Neal traded for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks |
If You're Reading This It's Too Late | February 13, 2015 | Lou Williams named Sixth Man |
What a Time to Be Alive | September 20, 2015 | Raptors sign Anthony Bennett |
Just like Drake's mixtapes, the Raptors' results are a mixed bag.
Drake's "Comeback Season" confirmed him as an artist with potential - similar to how the Raptors established their success with a second straight playoff appearance. But like Drake, the Raptors didn't truly enter the mainstream until much later.
"So Far Gone" was another sideways move for both Drake and the franchise. It was an ambitious project involving several big names (Lil Wayne had two guest verses, while Kanye West produced a song), but it didn't quite vaunt Drake into superstardom. On the same day the mixtape dropped, the Raptors flipped Jermaine O'Neal for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks - a trade involving two big names that didn't change much for the Raptors.
By the time "If You're Reading This It's Too Late" dropped, Drake and the Raptors had both become established brands. The Raptors had snapped a six-year playoff drought as kings of the Atlantic Division, and then held second place in the East while Drake quickly became the king of hip hop.
Drizzy used his influence to help the team. IYRTITL included the track "6 Man," which told the story of then-Raptor Lou Williams and his two girlfriends who (got) along. Months later, Williams was named Sixth Man of the Year (although he doesn't give any credit to Drake).
A few months later, Drake dropped "What a Time to Be Alive," which was full of radio staples, but the Raptors dropped a dud. A week after the project's release, the Raptors inked former No. 1 pick and Brampton, Ontario native Anthony Bennett, which proved to be much ado about nothing.