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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren Headline Drake’s Star-Studded Oklahoma Bash

Published 03/19/2024, 1:02 PM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

The Oklahoma City Thunder are currently having a remarkable 2023-24 season. With less than 20 regular season games remaining, the Thunder remain one of the favorites to clinch the 1st seed in the Western Conference. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren have been excellent all season long. But they also need a break from basketball, and they got one yesterday.

Yesterday, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren were seen at Drake’s concert at OKC Thunder’s Paycom Center. Holmgren entered with rapper Lil Durk, who opened the concert, to a raucous Oklahoma crowd. SGA made an even grander entry, as he appeared on the video board during Drake’s introduction. Drake even gave a shout-out to Shai during the concert and invited both SGA and Chet on the stage during the latter stages of the concert.

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Drake has supported Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a fellow Canadian, for some time now. Despite being a Toronto Raptors fan, Drake even attended an OKC Thunder game in December 2021. During a recent concert, Drake called Shai the “future of the NBA.” He said, “He’s the future of the NBA. His name is Shai Gilgeous. He loves the f**k out of y’all… We both rep the six, but he LOVES the f**k out of y’all.” In October 2023, Shai gifted Drake an autographed jersey accompanied by a heartfelt message: “To the boy: Shout out to the flashiest, the splashiest, the craftiest … my fly brother, the GOAT … appreciate you 4L.”

While it was good to see the camaraderie shared between Drake and the OKC Thunder stars, it could potentially impact their pursuit of a championship. Could the “Drake Curse” hamper the OKC Thunder in the postseason?

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Will the “Drake Curse” affect Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the OKC Thunder?

For those unfamiliar with the “Drake Curse,” it is a phenomenon where teams and players experience setbacks or bad luck shortly after interacting with the Canadian music artist. Back in 2019, the phenomenon took the world by storm during Drake’s tour of Europe and UK. Several European soccer teams and players experienced misfortune right after meeting Drake.

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Manchester City star Sergio Aguero posted a picture with Drake on Instagram. Shortly after, in his next match against Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League quarter finals, Aguero missed a crucial penalty. This wasn’t an isolated incident, as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (then with Arsenal) and Paul Pogba (then with Manchester United) suffered the same misfortune. Could Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the OKC Thunder prove to be the exception to the “Drake Curse”? Let us know in the comments below!

 

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Written by:

Dushyant Singh

777Articles

One take at a time

Dushyant Singh is an NBA Writer at EssentiallySports. Ever since the Lakers’ Orlando Bubble victory, he has maintained a vigilant eye on the NBA with his research-heavy perspective, along with a specialization in covering predictive lineups. He keenly observes the evolving narratives that unfold each season.
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Edited by:

Jacob Gijy