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$260 million rapper Drake gifted Stephen Curry his iconic Jeff Hamilton jacket paying homage to Kobe Bryant

Raahib Singh
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$260 million rapper Drake gifted Stephen Curry his iconic Jeff Hamilton jacket paying homage to Kobe Bryant

Hip-Hop sensation Drake had a custom jacket made for Kobe Bryant’s last All-Star Game, gifted the same to Stephen Curry

In 2016, the world of basketball was going through an emotional time. A man who had been the face of basketball for two decades was planning to hang up his boots, and each team in the NBA was bidding farewell to him in their own unique way.

Playing his 20th season in the NBA, Kobe Bryant was receiving a nice farewell tour all around the league. Just like everyone else, even Drake decided to pay homage to the Lakers legend. With the 2016 All-Star game in Toronto, Drake didn’t have to worry about where. The only question that remained now was how.

Also Read: “Drake pocketed $500,000 on Stephen Curry’s 4th NBA title!”: Drizzy bet a whopping $100K on Warriors defeating Jayson Tatum’s Celtics

He teamed up with legendary designer Jeff Hamilton and used his connections at Nike to get a Jeff Hamilton x Jumpman x OVO piece out. Titled ‘Farewell Kobe’, the jacket paid homage to the Lakers’ legend.

Drake gifted the custom ‘Farewell Kobe’ jacket to Stephen Curry

Stephen Curry and Aubrey have been close since the start of his All-Star journey. Drake was seen courtside, cheering for the Warriors’ star during many of their epic Finals runs(minus the one against the Raptors, because obviously).

When designer Jeff Hamiltion heard rumors that Drake had gifted the jacket to Steph, instead of Kobe, he confronted the rapper.

“… I said to him, I had heard rumors that you gave away the jacket to Steph Curry because Steph Curry really wants that jacket. He(Drake) said no I did not… I gave it… like actually I have in my house, framed in… In a frame in my house.” 

However, during a Raptors game, Drake clarified the situation and came clean.

“Yeah, he was kind enough to make me a jacket in collaboration with Jordan and OVO of course, and yeah, that was a great piece. You know, I actually… funny enough I… I gifted that jacket to Steph. Uh… yeah, yeah Steph my guy. You know, we’re family.”

Also Read: “Drake and Peyton Manning mentored me, and I’ll get Ayesha Curry up there too!”: Stephen Curry shares what all can we expect from him at the 2022 ESPYs

One would think that a custom Kobe jacket might go Kobe’s way. However, I guess Aubrey chose his friendship with Steph over everything else.

About the author

Raahib Singh

Raahib Singh

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Raahib Singh is an NBA Journalist and Content Strategist at The SportsRush. A Computer Science Engineer by qualification, Raahib's passion for sports drew him towards TSR. He started playing basketball at 14 and has been following the NBA since 2013. His entry into the basketball world perfectly coincided with Stephen Curry putting the league on notice. Having followed the league for a long time, he decided to use his knowledge to become a sportswriter with The SportsRush in 2020. Raahib loves to put up some shots in his spare time, watch Cricket, Formula 1, and/or read a nice thriller.

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