In what is turning out to be one of the most exciting NBA finals in recent history, one major headliner is getting the bench- sort of. 102.9 KBLX-FM, a San Francisco Bay Area radio station, announced that they will not be playing any of Drake’s songs until further notice. The announcement came after the Toronto Raptors took a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals with a 123-109 win over the Warriors on Wednesday night.
Drake, who is originally from Toronto, is often seen courtside at Raptors’ games and has made his loyalty as Toronto’s biggest superfan well known throughout the playoff series.
In a statement to CTV (Canada’s largest news network), 102.9 FM KBLX morning show co-host Kimmie “Tee” Taylor made the following statement: “The moment we knew we were going to be up against the Raptors, we made an executive decision and said no Drake. He is the Toronto Raptors’ biggest fan, which makes him our arch enemy right now. So we have no love for him right now, he is on pause—he needs to sit down for a minute.”
(During the Raptors’ series against the Milwaukee Bucks, at least one Milwaukee station also temporarily banned Drake from the air.)
The temporary ban follows weeks of Drake’s courtside antics which have included taunting players of the opposing team, riling up fans, invading players-only court bench space, and even giving Raptors coach Nick Nurse a shoulder rub following an especially difficult win during the Eastern Conference Finals. (The NBA reportedly spoke to Drake’s manager and in recent weeks he has become slightly more subdued.)
The Raptors face the Warriors for game 4 on Friday at Oracle Arena. While Drake has not confirmed attendance, odds are that we can expect the north’s biggest hypeman to bring the energy in what is sure to be another nail-biter of an already intense playoff series.
