Budenholzer: 'No place for' Drake's courtside shenanigans
Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer wants Drake to tone it down.
The Canadian rapper became a talking point during Games 3 and 4 in Toronto, making his presence felt on the sidelines as he teased Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo for a missed free throw and even gave Raptors head coach Nick Nurse a quick shoulder rub during the fourth quarter.
Budenholzer feels Drake is too involved in the action and should be told to dial it back.
"There's certainly no place for fans - or whatever Drake is for the Raptors - on the court," Budenholzer said Wednesday during a conference call, according to ESPN's Malika Andrews. "There's boundaries and lines for a reason.”
Drake was named a global ambassador for the Raptors in 2013 and frequently sits courtside at home games. He's partnered with the organization on a number of projects, including the rebranding of the team's practice facility in March.
Budenholzer isn't the only person who's unhappy with Drake. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel compiled some reactions from Bucks fans fed up with the rapper following the Game 4 loss, and the founder of the agency that represents Antetokounmpo called Drake's displays "disrespectful."
Nurse, for his part, downplayed Drake's massage.
"It’s not a distraction to me," the Raptors coach said Wednesday, according to James Herbert of CBS Sports. "I didn't even know I got the shoulder rub last night until somebody showed me a picture of it today.
"I didn't even feel it. I was so locked into the game."
Bucks fans should get a reprieve from the superfan Thursday when Milwaukee hosts Toronto for Game 5.