Proof that the "Drake curse" is alive and expensive

In 2022, Drake placed a US$275,000 bet on UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal to win at UFC 272, but Masvidal ended up losing to Colby Covington. Soon after, he lost US$427,000 betting on UFC fighter Justin Gaethje, who ended up losing to Charles Oliveira in the first round. In November, he lost a whopping US$2 million after betting on Israel Adesanya to beat Alex Pereira in UFC 281. Drake also lost over US$230,000 when he bet that Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc would win the Spanish Grand Prix, and Leclerc ended up suffering an engine failure.

But even when Drake bets on the right team he seems to be cursed, like when he lost US$1 million despite correctly guessing that Argentina would win the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, all because they didn't win in regulation but in a penalty shootout.

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Toronto Raptors - A longtime courtside staple at Raptors games, Drake had been cited as part of the reason that the team never previously made it to the finals. On his 2015 track ‘30 for 30 Freestyle’ he raps, "I got a club in the Raptors arena / Championships, celebrations during regular seasons." Drake was named their "Global Ambassador" in 2013, and it took six years for the team from the 6ix to win in Game 6. The rapper insisted, "Tonight belongs to Toronto."

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Contention about the curse -

In 2019, the Raptors won the NBA Championship and made Canadian history, with many wondering if the Drake curse had been dispelled. But some say he might have had some bad luck in store for the Golden State Warriors as well, as Drake was also a big fan of them. He mentions the team in his song ‘Summer Sixteen,’ and he raps about “Steph Curry with the shot” in ‘0-100/The Catch Up.’ He also gives a shout-out to Kevin Durant, from his Oklahoma City Thunder days, in ‘Weston Road Flows.’ Durant was injured in that season, and Curry missed that last critical three-pointer, the shot he effortlessly made numerous times throughout the game…

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Toronto Raptors - But Drake is aware of the superstition around him, and he explained: “We did this off of heart, we did this off of love. We willed this into existence, we manifested this. I told you the first time, people like to make memes—make another meme out of this.”

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Toronto Raptors - However, there are still many people who won't go near the rapper when it's game time. The facts are hard to ignore...

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A.S. Roma - A.S. Roma is an Italian soccer team out of Rome. They made headlines after "banning" their players from taking pictures with Drake.

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A.S. Roma - On April 15, 2019, the club account jokingly tweeted "All Roma players banned from taking photos with Drake until the end of the season."

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Toronto Maple Leafs - The Toronto Maple Leafs are Drake's hometown hockey team. The rapper was pictured at their game against the Boston Bruins on April 17, 2019.

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Toronto Maple Leafs - The Leafs lost the game to the Bruins, with Drake watching on in horror.

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Miami Heat - In 2013, Drake partied with the Miami Heat after they beat the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. But the Spurs got their revenge the following year, beating the Heat.

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Kentucky Wildcats - In 2012, Drake gave the Kentucky Wildcats engraved rings. The rapper still hangs around the Wildcats, but the college basketball team hasn't won a National Championship since those rings were given out.

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Alabama Crimson Tide - Earlier in 2019, Drake posted a video of himself wearing a University of Alabama sweatshirt. Days later, the Alabama Crimson Tide lost to the Clemson Tigers football team.

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Miami Hurricanes - In 2018, Drake went to the University of Miami to shoot the music video for 'God's Plan.' Following this, the Miami Hurricanes opened their season by losing to the LSU Tigers football team.

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Odell Beckham Jr. - Drake and NFLer Odell Beckham Jr. are close buddies. The rapper actually name-dropped the player on his song 'Fake Love.'

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Odell Beckham Jr. - But since hanging out with Drake, ODB was snapped with narcotics and scantily-clad women. He broke his leg in 2017, and also clashed with his New York Giants teammates.

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Johnny Manziel - Drake and American football player Johnny Manziel are good friends, and Drake even wrote a song about the athlete. However, soon after they started hanging out, Manziel's career took a downturn, and now he doesn't even play in the NFL.

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Serena Williams - Drake and tennis star Serena Williams have a complicated history. At one point, they were rumored to be dating.

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Serena Williams - Drake watched Williams at the US Open in 2015, where she lost in the semi-finals.

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Conor McGregor - Conor McGregor was due to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov, and he too fell into the trap of taking photos with Drake.

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Conor McGregor - Drake actually showed up to the fight, which McGregor eventually lost to Nurmagomedov.

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April 2019 -

The world of soccer has arguably been the most affected by the Drake curse, with April 2019 being a particularly horrible period.

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Layvin Kurzawa - Drake posed for a picture with Layvin Kurzawa, a defender for Paris Saint Germain. His team lost 5-1 to smaller club Lille OSC in April 2019, and the curse continued.

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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - In April 2019, Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang snapped a pic with Drake. The following Sunday, Arsenal lost 1-0 to Everton.

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Jadon Sancho - The young player left England for the German league, but felt the Drake curse in the most cruel way.

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Jadon Sancho - After taking a picture with Drake, the Borussia Dortmund winger suffered a 5-0 defeat against rivals Bayern Munich in April 2019.

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Wilfried Zaha - Wilfried Zaha is a winger for Crystal Palace. Hours after he was pictured with Drake, his team lost 3-1 at home to Manchester City, this too in April 2019.

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Sergio Aguero - But Manchester City also got caught up in the Drake curse! Not long after taking a photo with Drake, striker Sergio Aguero missed a penalty against Tottenham Hotspur in a Champions League game. When? You guessed it: April 2019.

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Paul Pogba -

So, was the previous month curse-free? No chance! Paul Pogba and Drake got a picture together in March 2019. Well, his team, Manchester United, went on to lose to the Wolverhampton Wanderers in their very next game.

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Romelu Lukaku -

Manchester United weren't just cursed through Pogba though. Romelu Lukaku also got a picture with Drake before the Wolves game.

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Drake - But it isn't just pro sports teams Drake has cursed—he has even felt the effects himself! On the show 'Degrassi,' Drake played the star player of the Degrassi High basketball team.

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Drake -

However, Drake's character became paralyzed on the show, ending his pro basketball dreams.

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An expensive curse -

Getty Images

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Contention about the curse -

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Toronto Raptors - However, there are still many people who won't go near the rapper when it's game time. The facts are hard to ignore...

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A.S. Roma - A.S. Roma is an Italian soccer team out of Rome. They made headlines after "banning" their players from taking pictures with Drake.

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A.S. Roma - On April 15, 2019, the club account jokingly tweeted "All Roma players banned from taking photos with Drake until the end of the season."

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Toronto Maple Leafs - The Toronto Maple Leafs are Drake's hometown hockey team. The rapper was pictured at their game against the Boston Bruins on April 17, 2019.

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Toronto Maple Leafs - The Leafs lost the game to the Bruins, with Drake watching on in horror.

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Miami Heat - In 2013, Drake partied with the Miami Heat after they beat the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. But the Spurs got their revenge the following year, beating the Heat.

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Alabama Crimson Tide - Earlier in 2019, Drake posted a video of himself wearing a University of Alabama sweatshirt. Days later, the Alabama Crimson Tide lost to the Clemson Tigers football team.

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Odell Beckham Jr. - Drake and NFLer Odell Beckham Jr. are close buddies. The rapper actually name-dropped the player on his song 'Fake Love.'

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Odell Beckham Jr. - But since hanging out with Drake, ODB was snapped with narcotics and scantily-clad women. He broke his leg in 2017, and also clashed with his New York Giants teammates.

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Serena Williams - Drake and tennis star Serena Williams have a complicated history. At one point, they were rumored to be dating.

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Serena Williams - Drake watched Williams at the US Open in 2015, where she lost in the semi-finals.

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Conor McGregor - Conor McGregor was due to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov, and he too fell into the trap of taking photos with Drake.

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Conor McGregor - Drake actually showed up to the fight, which McGregor eventually lost to Nurmagomedov.

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April 2019 -

The world of soccer has arguably been the most affected by the Drake curse, with April 2019 being a particularly horrible period.

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Layvin Kurzawa - Drake posed for a picture with Layvin Kurzawa, a defender for Paris Saint Germain. His team lost 5-1 to smaller club Lille OSC in April 2019, and the curse continued.

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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - In April 2019, Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang snapped a pic with Drake. The following Sunday, Arsenal lost 1-0 to Everton.

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Jadon Sancho - The young player left England for the German league, but felt the Drake curse in the most cruel way.

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Jadon Sancho - After taking a picture with Drake, the Borussia Dortmund winger suffered a 5-0 defeat against rivals Bayern Munich in April 2019.

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Wilfried Zaha - Wilfried Zaha is a winger for Crystal Palace. Hours after he was pictured with Drake, his team lost 3-1 at home to Manchester City, this too in April 2019.

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Paul Pogba -

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Romelu Lukaku -

Manchester United weren't just cursed through Pogba though. Romelu Lukaku also got a picture with Drake before the Wolves game.

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Drake - But it isn't just pro sports teams Drake has cursed—he has even felt the effects himself! On the show 'Degrassi,' Drake played the star player of the Degrassi High basketball team.

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Drake -

However, Drake's character became paralyzed on the show, ending his pro basketball dreams.

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Proof that the "Drake curse" is alive and expensive

Drake loses US$400,000 on Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury fight, adding to millions lost on recent sports bets

27/02/23 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Sports

For a sports team, having a celebrity fan can go a long way. It can bring attention, fanfare, and exposure to your club, sometimes even pushing the team to the next level. Other times, however, a celebrity sports fan can attract a lot of attention for the wrong reasons.

Drake, the Canadian rap sensation, has apparently been "cursing" sports teams and players for years. The joke goes that if you take a picture with Drake, or if he shows support for your team, you will lose or perform badly.

It's a pretty convincing argument if you consider how much money he has lost on sports wagers recently. According to the UK outlet Mirror, Drake recently lost his US$400,000 bet after Jake Paul was bested by rival Tommy Fury in their boxing fight. That's a mere fraction of the total amount he's lost in ill-placed bets, from UFC to Formula 1 to soccer, and more.

Of course, it’s quite likely Drake has nothing to do with any team or athlete, and that he has raked in more money than he's lost, but there’s a much longer and larger history of the Drake curse across various sports and clubs. Some have even called a ban on taking photos with him! Click through to see for yourself.