Kawhi Leonard Receives Championship Ring, Drake Celebrates His Toronto Return

BYAron A.3.2K Views
Link Copied to Clipboard!
Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images

Drake's team finally got big rings.

Tonight marks a night that many Raptors fans anticipated -- the return of Kawhi Leonard. He helped bring the championship back to Toronto for the first time in the franchise's history. Needless to say, it was a big moment for Toronto, as well as the rest of Canada. Kawhi was a hero to the city but many had mixed feelings when he decided to go to the Clippers, especially since there were promising signs he'd stay in the 6ix.

As he made his triumphant return to Toronto, he was welcomed with a tribute video as well as the rest of the Raptors who dapped him up. Kyle Lowry was the last man on the team to dap him up but he also was the one who gifted Kawhi his championship ring. Kawhi's face lit up as he dapped up Lowry and enjoyed the moment. Although Kawhi expected tons of boos when he came out, Toronto was definitely showing him love as he walked onto the court for his triumphant return.

Of course, the Raptors Global Ambassador was sitting courtside as all this happened. Drake hit his Instagram Story to flex his courtside seats along with his championship ring and incredibly iced out watch with the simple words, "Kawhi's home" to describe the setting. With Kawhi back in Toronto tonight, we'll see if the Raptors will be able to win against the Clippers. 

About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.