THE infamous Drake curse has been declared over after Toronto Raptors won their first ever NBA title… but it comes too late for the likes of Anthony Joshua, Conor McGregor and Sergio Aguero.
The Canadian rapper and huge Raptors fan, 32, has for a long time thought to be jinxed – with sporting stars and teams he's pictured with going on to lose shortly after.
Most recently, the hex appeared too strong for British boxing superstar Anthony Joshua – who succumbed to a shock defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr in New York earlier this month having been pictured with Drake.
But AJ was by no means the first – with the likes of Sergio Aguero, Serena Williams and Conor McGregor all slumping to shock losses on the back of posing for a snap with the Hotline Bling singer.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Paris Saint-Germain and even LeBron James' Miami Heat in 2014 have all fallen foul of the dreaded curse.
TORONTO RAPTURES
However, it appears the curse may have come to an end.
Despite Drake being present for all of the Toronto Raptors' Playoff games against the Golden State Warriors – mostly court-side, too – the Canadian side managed to win their first NBA crown.
It immediately led to an outpouring on social media with fans declaring the curse over.
One tweeted: "Drake. Broke. The. Curse."
Another added: "Drake curse is officially broken."
Someone suggested: "'The Drake Curse' gotta be the name of his next album."
Yet one mused that it could still exist – just not for Canadian teams: "This confirms that the Drake curse only works on non-Canadian teams."
WILD CELEBRATIONS
Following the historic win for the Raptors, fans set off fireworks in the streets, vandalised a bus and even jumped in a water fountain as the city celebrated their first title.
Nick Nurse's side became the first Canadian champions in league history as they beat the Golden State Warriors 114-110 to clinch a 4-2 series win.
Avid supporters partied through the night in Toronto – and indeed across the country – after their historic night.
After years of failing to show up in the play-offs, Raptors chiefs sacked head coach Dwane Casey and traded star man DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard last summer.
The moves reaped the rewards instantly, as former San Antonio Spurs superstar Leonard led his side to an incredible victory.
Going up against arguably one of the greatest teams in NBA history in the Warriors, Leonard shone all series – earning his second Finals MVP award in the process.
Victims of the Drake Curse
2013: Toronto Raptors make Drake their global ambassador and earn a reputation for choking in big games – until now…
2014: Kentucky lose college basketball decider versus Wisconsin
2014: Miami Heat smashed 4-1 in NBA Finals by San Antonio
2015: Serena Williams shocked by Roberta Vinci in US Open semi-final
2016: Quarterback Johnny Manziel drops out of NFL having previously been a first-round draft pick
2018: UFC champion Conor McGregor loses to Khabib Nurmagomedov
2019: Alabama suffer big loss to college football rivals Clemson
2019: Jadon Sancho's Dortmund hammered by Bayern
2019: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang benched as Arsenal lose at Everton
2019: Sergio Aguero misses a penalty as City lose to Tottenham in the Champions League
2019: PSG suffer their heaviest league defeat in 19 years, losing 5-1 at Lille
2019: Anthony Joshua loses first professional fight and world title belts with shock defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr
And it could be just the beginning for the Raptors too, should "The Klaw" stick around in Toronto…
Leonard has a player option in his contract for this season, meaning he may opt to leave Canada.
After winning the NBA title and Finals MVP, it could be he's persuaded to stay – but may opt to hunt a crown in another city.
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