Lou Williams says Raptors got rid of him because of his "lifestyle"
Lou Williams emerged as a fan favourite during his short stint with the Toronto Raptors.
In the 2014-15 season, Williams averaged 15.5 points, 2.1 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 80 games for the Raptors, and won his first of three Sixth Man of the Year awards.
But after just one year with the franchise, Williams was told “Thanks, but no thanks” as he hit free agency.
Williams was known for a bit of an eccentric off-court lifestyle, including dating multiple women at the same time, which he later confirmed in a 2021 interview with Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks.
And despite being an official team ambassador, Drake’s reference to Williams in the song “6 man” might have tanked the team’s shot at re-signing him.
“Boomin’ out in South Gwinnett like Lou Will’/6 man like Lou Will’, two girls and they get along like I’m (Lou)/Like I’m Lou Will’, I just got the new deal,” Drake rapped in the hit song released off the 2015 album If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, which came out in February during Williams’ stint in Toronto.
According to Williams, the Raptors weren’t exactly the biggest fans of that.
In a recent episode of the Underground Lounge podcast that Williams co-hosts, the former NBA journeyman told his ex-Raptors teammate DeMar DeRozan that he feels Toronto’s management wasn’t exactly the biggest fan of his choices off the court.
Lou Williams believes the Toronto Raptors did not re-sign him due to his “lifestyle” and Drake referencing him in “6 Man”
“Was it Drake?”
“A thousand percent.”
[via @undergrndlounge | H/T @EntirelyNBA ] pic.twitter.com/wAq6FoOOtq
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“A thousand percent,” Williams said of whether Drake’s mention had some pull for why he wasn’t signed again.
“They didn’t re-sign me back to Toronto because of my lifestyle,” Williams explained. “They said I was a bad influence and they just said my vibe wasn’t right for what they was building out here.”
Williams went on to sign a three-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers.
DeRozan’s full interview is available below:
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