Drake‘s ties to basketball run deeper than courtside appearances at Toronto Raptors games and wearing basketball jerseys at his concerts, he’s a fervent basketball fan who has developed friendships with top-tier acts in the sports from LeBron James to Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. For the latest video on LeBron’s UNINTERRUPTED YouTube channel, Drake sits down with James and former Raptor and Miami Heat all-star Chris Bosh, as they discuss their admiration for one another and former Raptor-turned-veteran journeyman Vince Carter’s influence on their lives.
In the clip, the trio reflected on their respective careers and how they eventually met each other. Bosh took a moment to praise Drake for his success and all he’s done for Toronto, saying that while being labeled a “Canadian artist” used to have a “negative connotation at the time,” Drake found a way to step outside of that box and “do so many great things.”
“It’s been a journey and it’s been incredible to do it this way,” the rapper told Bosh, later adding that “there was a time where it was really, it was really tough to feel like we could ever transcend that actual literal border” but his hometown has created a “monster” due to the passion and support from fans.
The men then shifted their focus to discuss Carter and his affect on each of their lives. James starts by reminiscing about how impactful the eight-time all-star’s athleticism was to him as he developed his own craft.
“Vince was that guy where you’re like if he gets one dribble inside that three-point line, you better move,” James said. “For a kid like myself who started to find his way with some athleticism, you looked at Vince like, ‘Damn, I ain’t gon be able to get to that point but if I could get half [or] three-fourths of it, then I’m doing something right.'”
Drake on the other hand, says that Carter’s presence made Toronto’s nightlife feel “larger than life.”
“We had celebrities coming to our city and performing that would’ve never been here before. We had rappers and people from here that were acting like we were in New York,” Drizzy added. “People were driving different cars and starting businesses, he created a culture for us that we had only seen on television.”
Drake and LeBron James are currently promoting The Carter Effect, a documentary on Vince Carter’s basketball career and impact on the Toronto scene. Drake and James are executive producers for the film, which was produced by James’ digital programming network UNINTERRUPTED.
Watch Drake, LeBron James and Chris Bosh interview each other below.