In partnership with Canadian crypto casino and betting site Stake, Drake surprised a Toronto mother with $100k in cash and made a sizable donation to James’ Akron charter school.
The list of things that Drake loves is short, but right at the top — next to his mom and his bed — lies the Toronto Raptors. Through the years, the Canadian multi-hyphenate has become well-known and relentlessly memed for his courtside antics.
Drizzy showed up on the sidelines last Friday as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Raptors 128-123, but it was what happened after the game that made headlines.
At a dinner sponsored by LeBron James‘ tequila brand, Lobos, Drake teamed up with Canadian crypto betting site Stake to donate $1 million in Bitcoin to King James’ Akron-based I Promise School.
Drake first teamed with Stake at this year’s Super Bowl, as he revealed an impending bet on his old friend Odell Beckham Jr. and the L.A. Rams. While OBJ went down with a knee injury in the first half, he’d already hauled in a touchdown. Combined with the L.A. win, Drake rounded out the night up $1.4 million.
It wasn’t the only time he’s gotten lucky with Stake. In an Instagram video, Drake shared footage from a successful night of roulette on the site.
However, the Certified Lover Boy rapper wasn’t content to just sit on his earnings.
“Any time I get blessed like that, I always think it’s good karma that needs to be transferred. I play for fun and in the hopes I can spread love always,” Drake says to the camera.
This week, he spread his good karma around in three parts. First, he invited a local hooper Michael Evbagharu and his mother, whom he called “one of the hardest-working women, period,” to a Lobos dinner at Harbour 60 in the Dot with LeBron.
Together, the two superstars presented Michael’s mom with $100,000 in cash to “make this journey a little easier.”
“We hope it takes a little burden off of your chest, off of your heart,” James added, as the shocked woman embraced them both.
As LeBron and Aubrey spread hugs around, Graham also gifted pairs of Nikes — perhaps his signature Nocta model? — to Michael and his coach at Toronto’s Royal Crown Academy. From the box, Drake pulled out another stack of cash for the coach, celebrating his hard work with the kids, including his own four-year-old son, Adonis.
Subscribe for the biggest stories in the business of sports and entertainment, daily.
After everyone regained their composure, Drake turned to James for the ultimate gift. Throwing his arm around the four-time NBA champion, he said, “I know me and you talk about a lot of things. We love watches. We love cars. … But I know what means the most to you in life, what I’ve studied. This man asked me, ‘What actually makes you feel rich in the soul?’
“I’ve been trying to figure out what I can do for this moment. So…myself and Eddie from Stake, we’re going to dedicate $1 million to the I Promise School, and I’m going to drop it off myself,” Drake reveals in the video.
LeBron broke his normally steady composure, seemingly caught off guard by the kind gesture. Rendered nearly speechless, he simply repeatedly said “wow.”
James and his eponymous Foundation are no strangers to crypto, having secured a multi-year partnership with Crypto.com earlier this year — fittingly, also the name of the Lakers’ home arena since December. Students at the school will learn about financial literacy and the role of crypto in their futures, as part of the curriculum.
Subscribe for the biggest stories in the business of sports and entertainment, daily.
