Was the 'Raptors' Air Jordan 4 Supposed to Be a Drake Collab?

New information shows that the upcoming 'Raptors' Air Jordan 4 was supposed to be a Drake collaboration.

Drake Raptors
Image via Getty / Vaughn Ridley
Drake Raptors

New information has surfaced regarding the recently leaked "Raptors" Air Jordan 4. According to @py_rates on Twitter, the Toronto-inspired colorway was originally intended to be the next project between Jordan Brand and Drake. 

The connection is an obvious one. Drake is a Toronto native and can frequently be seen courtside at the Air Canada Centre cheering on his hometown Raptors. The formula behind the "Raptors" 4s was intended to be the same as Travis Scott's "Oilers" 4s releasing on June 23. Each rapper designed their own Air Jordan 4 to represent their respective hometown team. As La Flame's pair has his Cactus Jack logo on the heel tab, Drizzy's was originally going to have his signature on the tongue. A post by @zsneakerheadz on Instagram confirms the Drake signature. The leaker's pair sports the red autograph under the Jumpman logo on the tongue. 

Unfortunately, it appears that the Drake-branded "Raptors" Air Jordan 4 project has been scrapped and the retail release will not include any of these details. This shoe not coming to fruition is further proof that Drake is on his way over to the Three Stripes. In recent months it has been rumored he was unhappy with his Jordan Brand deal and he has frequently been seen in Adidas apparel and footwear ever since.

While nothing has been made official by either party yet, all signs point to Drake joining Team Adidas in the near future.

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