Raptors legend Vince Carter shares his thoughts on Drake’s feud with DeMar DeRozan

Vince Carter didn’t let the banter between Drake and DeMar DeRozan overwhelm him. Honestly, when Carter’s jersey went up in the rafters at Scotiabank Arena last week, the Toronto Raptors legend was unaware of anything that had happened.

It wasn’t until after the ceremony that Carter began to hear about Drake’s comments on the telecast of Toronto’s game against the Sacramento Kings. Drake had said he would take down a banner of DeRozan if the Raptors ever decided to retire his No. 10 and called DeRozan a “fool” on the TSN broadcast. The comments and DeRozan’s response overshadowed what had otherwise been a night to honor Carter’s career with the Raptors.

“I understand Drake’s side of it, but I understand the other side of it,” Carter continued FanDuel’s “Run it Back” Show as he diplomatically tried to walk the line between DeRozan and Drake. “It’s an emotional situation.”

The feud dates back to last summer, when DeRozan appeared in the music video for “Not Like Us” alongside his hometown friend Kendrick Lamar. The song is essentially an attack on Drake with lyrics that make several allegations about Drake and include a verse suggesting that Toronto didn’t deserve DeRozan.

Former Raptors guard Lou Williams previously called Drake’s comments “selfish” and reiterated on the FanDuel show that he didn’t appreciate Drake taking the spotlight away from Carter.

“You felt like you got your flowers in that building, but online, social media-wise, that was the conversation,” Williams told Carter. “I wanted it to stay about you that night.”

Attempting to stay out of arguments, Carter acknowledged that he appreciated Drake showing up to the ceremony, while also noting that Drake likely would have sided with his hometown if the situation had been reversed. While Drake and DeRozan had been friends dating back to DeRozan’s time in Toronto, DeRozan and Lamar have known each other since their childhood in Compton, California.

If one thing is certain, Carter said, it would take some serious climbing skills to actually tear down a banner from the rafters of the arena, as Drake had said he would.

“We sat there and watched that jersey go up and up,” Carter joked. “You have to be fearless to get up there.”

Drake was also seen insulting DeRozan after Sacramento’s loss to Toronto. The dispute led to Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé wearing a “they not like us” shirt while sitting courtside during Toronto’s road loss to the Kings last week.