Alright, so the question “does drake own the raptors” popped into my head the other day, and I just had to dig into it. Here’s what I found out, straight from my own little investigation.
First off, I remembered Drake being super involved with the Toronto Raptors. I mean, the guy’s always courtside, right? So, I started by googling “Drake Raptors ownership.” That led me to a bunch of articles talking about his role as the “global ambassador.”
Okay, so “global ambassador” isn’t exactly “owner,” but it’s still a pretty big deal. From what I gathered, he’s been in that role since like 2013. That’s over a decade of repping the team. Articles mentioned he helped design special jerseys and even had a hand in the court design. That’s some serious influence.
But here’s the thing: being an ambassador and owning a team are two totally different ballgames (pun intended!). I started digging deeper, trying to find out who actually owns the Raptors. That’s when I stumbled upon MLSE – Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment.
MLSE owns a whole bunch of Toronto sports teams: the Maple Leafs (hockey), the Raptors (basketball), Toronto FC (soccer), and a few others. They’re a massive company. So, Drake’s not the top dog. He doesn’t sign the checks.
Then, I saw something about Drake having naming rights to the Raptors’ practice facility – the OVO Athletic Centre. That’s cool, but again, not ownership. It’s a sweet deal, definitely shows a close relationship, but it doesn’t mean he owns the team.
I even went down a bit of a rabbit hole, looking for any hints that he might have a small ownership stake. Sometimes celebrities buy a tiny percentage of a team, just for kicks. But I couldn’t find anything concrete. No official announcements, no credible sources saying he owns any part of the Raptors.
So, the verdict? Nah, Drake doesn’t own the Raptors. He’s the global ambassador, a super fan, and basically the team’s mascot, but he’s not writing the checks. MLSE is calling the shots. Still, it’s pretty cool to see him so involved. He’s basically part of the Raptors’ identity at this point.
