Matt Bonner Mentored Drake On Basketball Skills?

By Phil Watson | Oct 21, 2014

Apr 5, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Rapper and entertainer Drake (with towel) laughs during the semifinals of the Final Four in the 2014 NCAA Mens Division I Championship tournament between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Wisconsin Badgers at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /

When Canadian rapper Drake was playing disabled basketball star Jimmy Brooks on Degrassi: The Next Generation, NBA player Matt Bonner was brought in to help.

It’s no secret that the Canadian rapper Drake is a big basketball fan.

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From serving as an ambassador for the

Toronto Raptors

to showing up at Midnight Madness at the University of

, it seems that one can’t navigate the basketball dial without tripping over the dude.

But what one might not know is that when Drake, under his given name of Aubrey Graham, played disabled basketball star Jimmy Brooks for eight seasons on Degrassi: The Next Generation, the show’s producers brought in some professional help for the actor.

Matt Bonner, then with the Toronto Raptors, was that professional help, according to his younger brother, Luke Bonner:

Bonner played with the Raptors from 2004-06 after spending a season in Italy and that’s when he apparently worked with Drake/Aubrey.

Did the training work? You be the judge:

That had to be hard to watch for Bonner, a career 42 percent shooter from 3-point range in his 10 NBA seasons.

What might have been even more difficult for Bonner to swallow, though, was Drake suiting up for Kentucky. Bonner was a standout at Florida for four seasons from 1999-2003, helping the Gators to the national championship game in 2000.

Luke Bonner played at West Virginia and Massachusetts before a three-year pro career in Europe and the D-League.

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