The relationship between the Toronto Raptors and rapper Drake grew Thursday with the announcement that the team's training facility has been renamed the OVO Athletic Centre.
The Raptors' training facility, which opened in February 2016, cost $30 million to build and has been without a corporate sponsor since 2018. OVO is the brand owned by Drake which encompasses a record label, clothing line and other marketing endeavours by the Toronto-born rapper, with the trademark owl logo set to be prominent at the Raptors' training facility and on the team's practice jerseys.
“Drake and OVO are an important part of our city’s landscape, our team’s identity, and our plans to bring a championship to Toronto,” Raptors president Masai Ujiri said in a statement. “With each step of our partnership over the last five and a half years, we have worked together to build a winning basketball program in Toronto and deliver for our fans and our community."
We made it happen. Introducing the OVO Athletic Centre.@welcomeOVO | #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/8Z2Trv6evi
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) March 14, 2019
The Raptors unveiled Drake as the team's global ambassador in September 2013, and the 32-year-old has been a prominent courtside presence in the ensuing years. Drake's partnership with the Raptors took centre stage in 2016 when Toronto hosted the NBA All-Star Weekend, with the rapper taking a lead role in the festivities. The team has also worn OVO-inspired uniforms on numerous occasions and hosted an annual "Drake Night" since its partnership with the musician was announced.