NBA
Kevin Durant has Canada Day hangout with Drake as NBA free agency begins
Drake wasn’t lying when he sang, “Shout out to KD, we relate, we get the same attention.”
The Canadian rapper and Phoenix Suns superstar were seen hanging out at Drake’s Toronto mansion on Monday.
The two were photographed seeming to smoke hookah as part of Canada Day festivities, which Drake featured on his Instagram story.
Durant, 35, seemed unbothered despite the frenetic start to NBA free agency.
With two years remaining on his four-year, $194 million contract, Durant’s name has not surfaced much in trade talks.
Despite the fact that the Suns went 49-33 and were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves, the organization seems intent on retaining No. 35.
“Phoenix loves Kevin Durant and Kevin Durant loves Phoenix,” wrote owner Mat Ishbia on June 26, “and we are competing for a championship this year because we have the team to do it.”
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski suggested that the Houston Rockets were leaning toward trying to snipe the “Easy Money Sniper” from Phoenix, but that the Suns indeed did not want to part ways with the forward.
Durant’s Suns haven’t done much that’s earth-shattering in free agency so far, retaining guard Eric Gordon, center Bol Bol, forward Royce O’Neal and center Drew Eubanks.
Phoenix will likely trot out its superstar trio of Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal for a second straight season, hoping to revitalize a promising core that scarcely shared the court last season.
Meanwhile, Drake has kept more of a low profile in recent weeks after being embroiled in a lengthy diss track feud with Kendrick Lamar and questions swirling about his music label OVO.
The 37-year-old artist has always had an affinity for basketball, including frequently attending Toronto Raptors games.
Whether alluding to prominent NFL franchises in “Middle of the Ocean” or shouting out NBA stars like James Harden or Steph Curry, Drake isn’t one to shy away from sports references in songs.