Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan joined Kendrick Lamar on stage Wednesday night as the rapper performed his hit Drake diss “Not Like Us.”
Westbrook and DeRozan were among the A-list crowd at Lamar’s ‘The Pop Out’ show in LA, with Lakers star LeBron James also in the audience.
And the pair – who like Lamar are both from California – danced in front of a sold-out crowd as the 17-time Grammy winner performed the breakout song from his recent feud with Toronto native Drake.
DeRozan, who previously played for Drake’s beloved Raptors from 2009 to 2018, was known to be close with the rapper and even called him “my dog” after he was dropped on “Lemon Pepper Freestyle.”
“He’s the biggest and the coldest in the game,” he told the BBC ‘Knuckleheads’ Podcast in 2021.
Russell Westbrook (back left) and DeMar Derozan (right) joined Kendrick Lamar on stage
DeRozan and Westbrook danced on stage as Lamar performed at the Kia Forum in Inglewood
Drake and DeRozan developed a close relationship while the guard played for the Raptors
James’ presence on the show may also come as a surprise to some, as Drake previously referred to him as “my brother.”
The pair have known each other for at least 15 years and James has also had Drake on the basketball star’s ‘The Shop’ show.
“In 2009, when no one believed in what I was doing, that same guy showed up at a mixtape release party…,” Drake said from James in 2023, during a performance at the Crypto.com Arena, home of the Lakers.
“He came all the way to Toronto, Canada to support me as I tried to figure out how to make my dreams come true.”
Earlier this month, the “Six God” rapper made headlines with another pair of huge sports bets, betting $50,000 each on the Dallas Mavericks and Edmonton Oilers to win their respective championships.
Lakers star LeBron James also appeared on the show, but did not take the stage
Drake and DeRozan embrace after the Raptors beat the Pacers in Game 7 of the 2016 first round
17-time Grammy winner Lamar has been battling Toronto-born Drake in recent months
The Mavericks ultimately lost to the Boston Celtics in five games, although that bet would have paid him $1.375 million had it landed.
The Oilers, meanwhile, are still alive in the Stanley Cup Finals, trailing the Florida Panthers 3-2.
Drake would win $1.025 million if the Canadian team manages to win two more games.