vanvleet demar drake feud

VanVleet wishes Drake and DeRozan would get over Toronto Raptors banner feud

Former Toronto Raptors star Fred VanVleet is the latest big name to weigh in on a bit of celebrity beef surrounding the team.

On an episode of The Draymond Green Show, VanVleet opened up to his 2019 NBA Finals opponent about a war of words between the Raptors' all-time leading scorer and their official team ambassador last weekend.

While being interviewed on the team broadcast, Drake said he'd rip Demar DeRozan's banner down from the Scotiabank Arena rafters if he ever had his jersey retired by the team, with DeRozan then replying that he'd "have a long way to climb."

"It's tough to watch, man," VanVleet said. "DeMar is like a big brother to me, while Drake is a friend I really respect. Seeing them at odds is something I don't want. They both mean so much to the city and to me personally."

The nature of the beef appears to be DeRozan appearing in the "Not Like Us" video by Kendrick Lamar, a very pointed diss at the Toronto rapper. The track has since been nominated for multiple Grammy Awards, announced earlier today.

Back in the summer, DeRozan also appeared alongside Lamar at one of one of his concerts in Los Angeles, further stoking the feud.

"There's clearly a personal history there, and I hope they can come to an understanding," VanVleet added. "I just want to see them resolve it without any major fallout. This isn't something that should become a big deal."

VanVleet and DeRozan played 105 games together in Toronto from 2016 through 2018, when the latter was traded to the San Antonio Spurs in a blockbuster deal revolved around Kawhi Leonard. VanVleet is currently in his second season with the Houston Rockets, while DeRozan is in his first year with the Sacramento Kings.

The full clip can be seen here.

Lead photo by

Winslow Townson-Imagn Images


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