Drake introduces world to his ‘new parents,’ an unaware couple next to him at NBA game
Rapper Drake sat courtside at an Oklahoma City Thunder game this week, and in the process he met an older couple he now calls family.
His “new parents” — as Drake referred to them in a Dec. 1 Instagram story post — are 71-year-old Renee Stanley and 75-year-old Jim Stanley, The Oklahoman reported. The couple told the outlet they were unaware who Drake was before meeting him, but that he “was very cordial” to them.
When Drake posted the photo of them on Instagram, the couple’s grandson informed his grandparents exactly who the friendly man sitting beside them was.
“He calls and goes ‘Oh my god, Grandma, you’re with Drake!’” Jim Stanley told KWTV. “That was really cool.”
Drake, unbeknownst to the Stanleys, was 2021’s most streamed artist in the U.S. on Spotify, the streaming service announced earlier in the week. He was named Artist of the Decade earlier this year by Billboard.
The grandmother said her phone blew up after that selfie, and that she’s suddenly “a big hit with the grandkids,” The Oklahoman reported.
As to why Drake was in the Midwest for a game between two of the NBA teams with the worst records, the Thunder and the Houston Rockets, the rapper is friends with Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
“We know each other, being from the same city. He loves hoops, I love music,” Gilgeous-Alexander said, according to Sports Illustrated.
While Drake came to see his fellow Toronto native, he also seemed to make memories with the Stanleys. Video shared by Bleacher Report shows Drake and the couple laughing with one another courtside.
Jim Stanley said they broke the ice when he complimented the rapper on his outfit, before later chatting about hockey and Drake’s native Canada, according to KWTV.
Renee Stanley said they weren’t intimidated talking to Drake, “because we didn’t know him,” The Oklahoman reported.
This story was originally published December 3, 2021 at 11:36 AM with the headline "Drake introduces world to his ‘new parents,’ an unaware couple next to him at NBA game."