The Kentucky Wildcats have been a true blue blood of college basketball for quite some time now. And that seemingly comes with a lot of perks with connections to some very powerful people, including their offseason practice arrangements.
Kentucky is one of the few basketball programs that is somewhat bigger than the sport itself, and has led to some very wealthy and successful people becoming huge fans of the team.
This includes uber-popular hip-hop artist Drake, who let the team practice at his $100 million mansion in Toronto on Friday.
Kentucky is about to begin practice at The Sanctuary, Drake’s custom made basketball court. pic.twitter.com/3lkIOFH1fH
— Daniel Hager (@DanielHagerKSR) July 14, 2023
Fans certainly had plenty to say about this collaboration, taking to social media to voice their opinions on this unusual practice for the team.
How many recruits are they calling right now??? 😂 https://t.co/JQ9dXKfi56
— Im a writer (@JayJDONDA) July 14, 2023
Yet another positive of going to Kentucky: the brand gets you access to things that wouldn’t be accessible otherwise. https://t.co/vUTKvrcjE8
— NKY Bracket Guy (@BracketNky) July 14, 2023
No NCAA Violations? https://t.co/bW1lTPFEE3
— Robert Butler@723 (@RButler723) July 14, 2023
https://twitter.com/Mal4theppl/status/1679897309876826127
Recruiting 101 https://t.co/jcar2WY1JB
— SRT Pookie (@ManifreshXL) July 14, 2023
The team is coming off a trip to Canada to face Team Canada in the annual Globl Jam tournament, representing the United States in the under-23 men’s tournament. They have defeated both Team Canada and Team Germany in the tournament thus far.
While this is likely an awesome moment for the players on the team who are fans of Drake, it could also border a potential NCAA violation.
Drake and Kentucky have been tied since the late 2000s when the famous rapper was seen hanging out with then-Kentucky freshman sensations Demarcus Cousins and John Wall.
Since then, he has been a staple at high-profile Kentucky games but has also gotten the program in some hot water in the past.
Kentucky has received two sanctions from the NCAA in the past due to players’ involvement with Drake, with the most recent coming in 2016.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.