Drake reveals Kawhi Leonard still has feelings for Toronto

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If you were thinking former Raptors superstar Kawhi Leonard has forgotten his one glorious season in Toronto, rapper Drake is here to let you know that nothing could be further from the truth.

“I’ll tell you, honestly, one thing about Kawhi that I can tell the people, whenever I see him, he expresses the utmost gratitude and he always says how much he misses the fans and the city,” the Toronto native said during a courtside chat with TSN broadcast duo Matt Devlin and Jack Armstrong during a pre-season tilt between the Raptors and Houston Rockets Monday night. “That’s my guy, honestly. He’s really grateful for his time here and we definitely miss him for sure.”

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In 2018, the San Antonio Spurs traded Leonard to Toronto for DeMar DeRozan, along with Jakob Poeltl and a first-round pick. His addition to the Raptors helped the club win its first NBA Championship in franchise history. But following the conclusion of the 2019 season, Leonard opted to sign with his hometown Los Angeles Clippers.

Leonard and Drake have maintained a friendship after the basketball star fled home to L.A. The two-time NBA Finals MVP recently appeared in the music video for the Grammy winner’s Way 2 Sexy .

For his part, DeRozan revealed to Bleacher Report in 2018 that he learned he was being shipped out of Toronto while getting something to eat at a Jack in the Box in Los Angeles.

“It just caught me off guard,” he said. “I sat in the Jack in the Box parking lot for, like, two hours just trying to process it all, like just trying to process the whole thing, and it just tripped me out honestly, just trying to figure it out, but that’s how I found out. Midnight, sitting in the Jack in the Box parking lot for about two hours till I went home.”

Elsewhere in his chat with TSN Monday night, Drake, wearing an oversized red coat, said he plans to be in his courtside seats when the Raptors kick off their 2021-22 season later this month against the Washington Wizards, and offered up some fashion advice to Matty and Jack.

“We’re going to do the opposite of toning it down, outfit-wise,” he joked. “Maybe we’ll all (wear) velvet smoking jackets.”

Drake also sent his “love and regards to everyone” watching the broadcast.

“I hope everyone is doing as well as possible with the given circumstances.”

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