Kendrick Lamar and the Cleveland Cavaliers just delivered the ultimate reminder that timing is everything in Hip-Hop and sports.
The Cavs eliminated the Toronto Raptors 114-102 in Game 7 on May 3, 2026, and the arena DJ made sure everyone knew exactly what was on their mind by spinning “Not Like Us” as the final buzzer sounded.
That track dropped exactly two years ago on May 4, 2024, when Kendrick released his career-defining diss at Drake, and the coincidence was too perfect for Cleveland to let slide.
The trolling didn’t stop there. Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 22 points, but the real victory belonged to the organization’s social media team, which wasted no time creating celebratory graphics that incorporated Drake’s “ICEMAN” branding.
The Cavs were essentially using Drake’s own album aesthetic against him while simultaneously invoking the track that’s haunted him for two years. It’s the kind of layered disrespect that only works when you’re actually winning on the court.
What makes this moment even more interesting is that Drake appears completely unbothered by the noise.
The Toronto native was spotted over the weekend shooting a music video for ICEMAN in the city’s streets, greeting fans and moving forward with his album campaign as if trolling didn’t exist.
His ninth studio album drops May 15, 2026, and he’s been building momentum with an elaborate rollout that includes massive ice structures and street-level visibility across his hometown.
The Raptors’ elimination stings for Toronto, but for Drake, it’s just another moment in a narrative that’s been playing out since May 2024.
It must sting for Toronto fans. This adds to the massive loss they took in the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and of course, the Dodgers and Fox News trolled Drake after the loss by playing the “Not Like Us.”
The city’s NBA team lost, the arena played his rival’s biggest diss, and yet he’s still moving forward with one of the year’s most anticipated album releases.
Whether that’s confidence or deflection depends on whom you ask, but the facts are clear: Drake’s album arrives in eleven days, and nobody’s stopping that rollout.