It’s been more than two years, but one of the NBA’s closest friendships with a rapper still appears to be sour. Drake has changed his tattoo, unfollowed LeBron James, and taken subtle shots at him through his music. The five-time Grammy winner even took a few jabs at LeBron on his Iceman track earlier this year.
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But one question remains: Did Drake actually call out LeBron in the comments of Russell Westbrook’s retirement post on Instagram?
The Instagram page Sports Culture, with close to 600k followers, added a post, “Drake really hates LeBron now bro 😭😭😭 Drake had some words for LeBron following Russell Westbrook’s retirement, and he didn’t hold back. After LeBron commented, “Helluva career Brodie!! HOF next!!” on Westbrook’s retirement post, Drake replied with “Fake a– mf,” calling out what he apparently viewed as fake love toward Russ.”
First, yes, the LeBron James tribute on Westbrook’s post is real. It drew criticism from some fans who accused him of showing “fake love” because of the difficult 2021–23 Lakers chapter with Russ.
James had reportedly been the one who pushed the Lakers to trade for Westbrook. In less than two seasons after joining, Russ was traded away again. While they had Westbrook, LeBron James even publicly admitted wanting to team up with Kyrie Irving, meaning the exit for Russ was not in the cards.
As James’ relationship with Westbrook remains in doubt, there has been no comment from Drake in reply to Bron. A fan asked in the comments, “Ain’t no way this is real.” Other netizens came to the rescue with the reply.
“it’s not real, I looked at the comments, and there is nothing there.”
Now, Drake has taken shots at LeBron, but those digs appear to stem from the breakdown of their relationship and LeBron’s ties to Kendrick Lamar, not Russell Westbrook’s retirement.
LeBron James attended the Kendrick’s 2024 Pop Out concert, while there was a feud between Drake and Kendrick. So, Drake later unfollowed LeBron on Instagram and eventually covered his famous LeBron tattoo with an image of fellow Canadian superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
That tattoo change carries more weight. Drake himself once called LeBron “my brother” during the “It’s All a Blur” tour in Los Angeles in 2023 and thanked him for supporting his career “when nobody believed” in him.
Even recently, photos from Drake’s NOCTA Manor event added another layer to the feud. One T-shirt featured the spray-painted message, “The only LeBron I rate is Juan.” It was a clear jab at LeBron James, referencing Spanish padel star Juan Lebrón Chincoa, who was invited by Drake.
Drake mocked LeBron James but hyped Stephen Curry
Now, Curry and Bron also were rivals at one point but have developed a brotherly bond. Teaming together for the national team at the Olympics was the icing on the cake. While there is no beef between the two, Drake made sure to clear his allegiances.
On “1AM in Albany,” Drake rapped, “I shouldn’t even be shocked to see you in that arena, because you always made your career off of switching teams up. Please stop asking what’s going on with 23 and me, I’m a real n****, and he’s not, it’s in my DNA.”
Not only did Drake use Iceman to target LeBron James, he also used the album to reinforce his longtime connection with Stephen Curry. “Back when they was askin’ bout where Davison was at, now everybody got a blue 30 on they back.”
It was a clear reference to how underrated/ignored Stephen Curry was back in Davidson but now has truly taken over as one of the top influencers in basketball’s history.
Drake has publicly supported Curry for years, famously referencing him on “0 to 100 / The Catch Up” with the line, “Steph Curry with the shot, boy.” So far, Curry has not distanced himself from Drake.
In fact, the Warriors superstar was tired of Not Like Us during the 2024 Olympics and famously said, “This is not the only song in America.” It is clear that Drake will find an opportunity to diss LeBron James. But he made no comments on the recent Russell Westbrook retirement post.