Will Ferrell captured on video taunting Toronto Raptors bench while sitting courtside
The Toronto Raptors’ most recent win came with a surprise appearance from comedy legend Will Ferrell, who jokingly taunted the Raptors bench from his courtside seat just feet away.
The Raptors were on the road in Oregon on Saturday night taking on the Portland Trailblazers, looking to bounce back from a tough loss the night before to the Golden State Warriors.
Throughout the game, which the Raptors went on to win, Ferrell hilariously berated the Raptors bench, at one point standing up and staring them down, leaving Raptors rookie Christian Koloko in stitches.
Ferrell’s antics were captured by Open Gym, a series that showcases behind the scenes video footage from Raptors games, practices and events.
“What does Boucher weigh, 142 [lbs]?” Ferrell asked the bench after Chris Boucher, who played college basketball in Oregon, scored on a put-back slam.
Though Ferrell seemed to be supporting the hometown Blazers, he did acknowledge last year’s rookie of the year Scottie Barnes after he slammed in a reverse dunk.
“I get it, it was a good play,” he said.
It’s unclear what exactly Ferrell was doing in Portland, as he has no discernable history as a Blazers fan, however he’s well known to sports fans for his role in the cult classic basketball movie, Semi-Pro.
Ferrell also teamed up with Drake, one of the Raptors’ official ambassadors, in 2017 for a now-famous TV promo for the NBA’s annual awards ceremony that also featured former Raptor DeMar DeRozan.
Ferrell mentioned Drake on Saturday, asking the Raptors bench if anybody had his number.
“I need to get a hold of Drake,” he shouted.
Open Gym also captured the final moments of the game, when Raptors players turned to a Portland crowd with a significant number of Raptors fans scattered throughout, celebrating Toronto’s win.
Since Vancouver lost its NBA team, the Grizzlies, to Memphis in 2001, devoted basketball fans in B.C. have started making the trip across the border to watch the Raptors when they travel to Portland once every season.
“There’s mad [Raptors fans] in here, that’s crazy,” said Pascal Siakam after his 24-point effort.
“I’ve never seen that before.”
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