During his two-night stop at Desert Diamond Arena on Sept. 5 and 6, Drake expressed his profound admiration for Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker and revealed that he's instructed his agent to scout for a residence near the Footprint Center so he can attend Suns games on a more regular basis.
Drake gushing about Phoenix and Booker was captured in a video clip that circulated on social media. "There's no place in the world I'd rather be; I love it here," Drake told the audience.
"I told my manager, my best friend, too. I told him when the tour is over, once I get my birthday out the way, I'm going to come live in Phoenix for like a month or two. For sure. Come see my brother's hoop, you know," he added.
If there was any doubt about who Drake was most looking forward to watching hoop, he put speculation by adding that he was wearing Devin Booker's newest sneakers — yeah, he's a fan. To return the love, Booker was on hand to walk Drake onto the stage before the Sept. 5 show.Drake plans to move to Phoenix to watch Devin Booker hoop pic.twitter.com/9A7M1Qem8z
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 7, 2023
As they say, "game recognize game." We have a full-fledged bromance happening here.
Devin Booker walked out with Drake at his show in Phoenix tonight 🔥
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 6, 2023
(via @sunsbizz)pic.twitter.com/oaLm5fslJM
Kentucky ties
A well-documented supporter of Kentucky basketball, Drake's love for Booker — who played for the Wildcats from 2014-15 — is no secret. From wearing Booker's jersey during concerts as far back as 2016 to dropping lyrics like "wet like I'm Book" in the Grammy-nominated single "Sicko Mode," the Canadian megastar artist is no Booker-fan-come-lately but instead a genuine fan of the Suns' All-NBA guard.It doesn't hurt either star that Drake's new album, "For All the Dogs," drops on Sept. 22. Booker's new shoe, Nike Book Chapter 1, hits shelves this holiday season.
If there is one thing we can say, Drake's decision to take in a chunk of Suns games this season is impeccable timing. Phoenix is gearing up for what is anticipated to be a historic year, as the franchise recently made a splash by adding shooting guard Bradley Beal to its roster, which already boasts NBA superstar Kevin Durant and, of course, Booker himself. (Durant walked out with Drake during the opening of the singer's concert on Monday in Austin.My brotha. @Drake pic.twitter.com/FoeZoiX3ZM
— Book (@DevinBook) September 7, 2016
The Suns are expected to compete for a title this season, with Booker leading the way and a team that features one of the NBA's greatest players of all time in Durant.
Did the "Drake Curse" strike again?
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) August 7, 2023
Shohei Ohtani has gone 2-12 with 7 Ks & 0 RBI since Drake wore his All-Star jersey 😳
(h/t @FletchWasSafe)pic.twitter.com/gRHp2vga3C
Break the ‘Drake Curse’
Of course, the elephant in the room is that Drake doesn't have a stellar reputation for supporting teams that go on to great success. There's the matter of the "Drake Curse," a phenomenon that suggests that Drake's support of a particular sports team or athlete leads to a string of unfortunate events or losses.The "Drake Curse" is not scientifically proven. Yet. His hometown Toronto Raptors famously were the first to dispel the notion he was capable of such bad juju. But the Suns face their own curse, which when combined with Drake could spell doom.
Let's hope that for the Suns, and Booker, that Drake taking up residence for home games breaks both curses.
