Drake is causing a stir around the city with stunts tied to his upcoming album, but courtside at the Toronto Raptors, his “Iceman” chairs recently caused a stink.
Fan 590 sportscaster Eric Smith told the hosts of Sportsnet’s “The Fan Morning Show” on Thursday that a stench from two “frozen” ice seats inside Scotiabank Arena was so strong that organizers were forced to remove them before the season’s final game last week.
On Thursday, the frozen chairs re-appeared inside Scotiabank Arena, just ahead of Game 3 of the playoffs between the Raptors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The chairs were created from an unknown chemical compound and shaped to appear as if they were dripping with icicles.
“They had those those seats all iced and everything, and that looked very cool, but it stunk — like it stank — to high heaven of chemicals,” Smith explained to the hosts in a light-hearted exchange.
“No word of lie, it was so bad … security officials were called down because players were complaining; they ended up removing those seats.”
Viral marketing for Drake’s “Iceman” has been captivating the city in recent weeks, and drawing scrutiny for its impact on local residents.
On Monday, the rapper revealed a massive 25-foot-long block of ice in a downtown parking lot, promising that hidden inside the melting structure was the release date for his first album since he lost his feud with Kendrick Lamar.
Thousands of people descended on the installation to snap selfies before the situation escalated, as some fans arrived carrying pickaxes and blowtorches to chip away at the structure. Police briefly cordoned off the property early Tuesday.
Within a day, Toronto fire crews had stepped in, hosing down the ice installation with warm water and dispersing the crowds amid growing safety concerns.
Earlier in the month, a dramatic explosion at a Drake video shoot in North York shook local residents, with some saying they feared it was an industrial accident. Toronto city councillor James Pasternak (York Centre) has called for officials to do a better job of communicating about potentially disruptive pyrotechnics near residential areas.
At Raptors games, Drake is the official global ambassador to the team, and his regular courtside seats were an attraction even before they were iced out.
Drake didn’t attend that game on April 12 where his team emerged victorious over the Brooklyn Nets 136-101, sending them to the NBA’s Eastern Conference playoffs.
Even if he had, Smith said the icy chemical finish would’ve made it impossible to use the seats which were “sticky to the point where … nobody was going to sit in those things.”
“I was getting high,” Smith added. “Like, legit the chemical smell was so strong they had to get them out of there.”
The Raptors return to face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs tonight in Toronto.
Representatives for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, owner of the Raptors, would not confirm if the smelly chairs will be back courtside at the game.
