“People were upset that I’m the host” of the NBA Awards, Drake went on, “because they say I’m a bandwagon fan.” He insisted that’s not true. “I have two teams, one from my hometown and whoever else is winning at the time. Just two teams,” he deadpanned. He also singled out a number of teams and athletes, saying, for instance, that the winning Warriors are a “tremendous group of players that play with Matt Barnes.” At times Drake scored laughs, but at other points there seemed to be some groans.
The NBA’s inaugural awards show is being held to honor the top players in the league. Drake is the perfect choice to headline the event, as he’s a diehard NBA fan and the global ambassador of the Toronto Raptors. He hosts “Drake Night” every year at the Air Canada Centre to honor the Raptors and his hometown of Toronto. Those lucky enough to attend a game on the special night receive limited-edition t-shirts, while the arena blasts the rapper’s songs throughout the evening. Drake can also frequently be seen sitting court side at NBA All-Star games, and even has past experience hosting a sports-related awards show, having emceed the 2014 ESPYs, as Gossip Cop reported at the time.
In addition to Drake’s hosting duties, the NBA’s inaugural awards ceremony is featuring commentary from “Inside the NBA” hosts Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith. Additionally, Nicki Minaj was set to perform during the show, while a number of celebrities were on hand to present the awards. The stars who signed up to hand out accolades to the winning players included Nick Cannon, Chadwick Boseman, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Jussie Smollett, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Jesse Williams and many more. Check out video of Drake’s NBA Awards opening below!