The Lakers played the Toronto Raptors on March 18, 2022, and Drake and LeBron James talked after the game.

Drake chose the Lakers star and his oldest son, USC freshman Bronny James, to walk with him through the crowd to the stage for the first show of his two-night music run at the downtown L.A. arena on Monday night. That’s not why.

Drake told Drake’s fans at the latest stop on his “It’s All a Blur” tour with 21 Savage that LeBron James has been a fan for a long time, even when Drake was trying to make the switch from kid actor on “Degrassi: The Next Generation” to hip-hop artist.

Drake said, “I don’t know if you saw who walked me to the stage tonight.” “But the man who led me to the stage tonight is my brother.” His name is LeBron James. When LeBron James is accepted into the Hall of Fame, the Los Angeles Lakers will take away his jersey. Still unknown is whether they will retire shirt number 23 or number 6, or maybe both, like they did with Kobe Bryant.

There was a big cheer from the people in the arena for that part. James has lived here for five years and helped the Lakers win the NBA title in 2020 and make it back to the Western Conference Finals last year. This is also where, on February 8, James beat Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the league’s all-time top scorer.

“Back in 2009, when no one believed in anything I was doing,” Drake went on, “that same guy showed up to the release party for a mixtape called ‘So Far Gone.’ I don’t know if you’ve heard of it. He spent the whole day in Toronto, Canada, with me to help me figure out how to make my dreams come true. That’s why, no matter how many years have passed, it’s an honor to be in this building with you tonight. I had to do this building justice tonight, so I came to LA. I promise I’ll give you everything I have right now.

It is known that James and Drake hang out together and support each other on social media. Bryce, James’ younger son and a student at Sierra Canyon School, was seen at one of Drake’s shows at the Forum last week.

Bronny James went public again almost a month after having a heart attack while working out with the Trojans on July 24. LeBron James held his son’s arm while they waited to start walking. As they moved through the crowd behind the famous rapper, he also put his hand on Bronny’s shoulder a few times.

Drake hugged Bronny and then gave LeBron a huge hug before going on stage. The crowd went wild with approval. Reports say that LeBron and his son loved the show from their VIP seats in the front row.