A Drake Night to remember

Last night, the Golden State Warriors traveled to Canada to play the Toronto Raptors. This was just another game for the Warriors, but it was a very special occasion for everyone in the Great White North. It was Drake Night at the Air Canada Centre.

Since the world collectively disowned Justin Bieber, Drake is now the most famous Canadian on the planet. He’s also the Raptors’ official Global Ambassador, so it’s only right that the team show him a little love for his efforts — and they did. There were t-shirts, Drake got a customized jacket from Raptors’ president Masai Ujuri, and the crowd was entertained by a mini-Drake who was just as good as the real deal.

Despite the Raptors’ 127-121 loss, Drake Night was a great evening. It was a fun night. It was also a very weird night. For example, Drake wore a sweatshirt with ESPN personality Doris Burke plastered on front, with the caption “Woman Crush Everyday.” Drake elaborated on the sweatshirt and his feelings for Burke during a pre-game press conference yesterday evening.

Read More: Marc Gasol does the Conor McGregor strut

Around the 47-second mark, you can see his eyes start to sparkle as soon as he mentions her name.

I get it. Along with being one of the best reporters/analysts covering the NBA today, Burke is a genuinely lovely person. It’s easy to see why Drake — or anyone for that matter — would openly profess their affection for her in a public setting. But a wearing a sweatshirt with HER FACE ON IT? Nah, man. That’s a bit extra. A common #WCW post on Instagram or Twitter would have sufficed, but as we’ve come to learn, Drake is all about the grand gestures.

Drake continued to spit game in Burke’s direction as the evening continued. During a courtside interview with Israel Gutierrez, Drake ultimately invited Burke to dinner at his place, “as long as she comes alone.” Burke, unfortunately, was not at the game, so we couldn’t see her reaction to his non-stop flirtations. However, she did respond to Drake on Twitter with a very simple answer:

This is big. Nay, this is HUGE. Simply giving the OK on Twitter could just be an everyday pleasantry, but adding a heart emoji turns things all the way up to 11. This could happen someday, and if it does, there will be so many questions that will need to be answered. Questions like, what will they eat? Steak? Lobster? Vichyssoise? (Drake seems like a vichyssoise kind of guy.)  Also, what will they talk about? Will there be music? And most importantly, WILL DRAKE WEAR THE SWEATSHIRT WITH DORIS BURKE’S FACE ON IT TO DINNER WITH DORIS BURKE? Only time will tell.

On a (slight) tangent, if you also worship at the altar of Doris Burke, there are apparently other ways to rep your favorite basketball mind.

Another weird thing that happened occurred during Kevin Durant’s post-game interview with Gutierrez. While discussing the common things that athletes talk about to the media, Drake bumped into Durant as he was passing by. Durant said nothing, but his reaction was worth a thousand angry words in all caps:

Did Drake bump into Durant on purpose? Maybe. The Warriors did just beat the Raptors on the night dedicated entirely to him. By doing so, they dampened not only the festivities, but also the fact that his Woman Crush Everyday agreed to have dinner with him. It is entirely possible that Drake was a little salty, and he let the Warriors’ know that by interrupting Durant’s interview. It’s possible, but none of that really matters.

What does matter is that instead of brushing that off, Durant marked Drake’s soul for harvest by shooting an extremely icy glare the rapper’s way. That, plus the fact that he doesn’t “give a damn about no damn Drake Night,” is a sure-fire sign that Durant’s NBA heel turn is officially complete.

Related Story: Klay Thompson sips Coors Light mid-interview after Warriors' win over Raptors

Leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder to join the supremely stacked Warriors was one thing. Putting on a “Super Villains” themed party was another. Intimidating Drake — an American and Canadian treasure — on his own special night in front of his hometown fans, is the final nail in the coffin. Kevin Durant is now a full-fledged VILLAIN. The Warriors are basically the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Both Drake and the rest of the league should definitely be on notice as the season continues.

That revelation, along with the blossoming romance that is Drake and Doris Burke, are what made last night’s Drake Night an evening to remember.