Cory Joseph has worn number five for most of his competitive basketball career. He wore it at high school powerhouse Findlay Prep. He wore it at the University of Texas. And he wore it in his first four NBA seasons with the San Antonio Spurs.
But now, Joseph is in 'The 6.' And he's wearing the jersey number to match it.
Joseph, a Toronto native, signed a four-year, $30 million contract with the Raptors on July 9. The 23-year-old chose to wear number one, as Tracy McGrady did during Joseph's youth.
Until the Raptors' global ambassador struck.
Cory Joseph to wear No. 6 after shoutout from Drake on 'Charged Up' http://t.co/2v2WcijCVT pic.twitter.com/0r2dXIvIVF
— Sporting News NBA (@sn_nba) July 27, 2015
On July 25, rapper Drake released "Charged Up," which served as one of two retaliation tracks to Meek Mill's diss about Drake allegedly using a ghostwriter. In the song, Drake references Joseph with the line, "I get a ring and I bring it home like I'm Cory Joe."
Drake is shouting out Joseph for being from Toronto, getting himself a championship in San Antonio and bringing it back to Toronto. Drake was born in Toronto, travels the world while garnering success, and celebrates back in his hometown of Toronto.
Joseph, embracing his Toronto roots, responded to Drake's lyrics by changing his number before even playing a game. Drake refers to Toronto as "The Six," as its two main area codes, 416 and 647, have a 6 in them.
The nickname has spread thanks to Drake. Now, Joseph will help carry on the association.
At Drake's OVO Fest, an annual concert "Drizzy" hosts at Toronto's Molson Canadian Ampitheatre, Drake had the honor of working with 2K Sports and the Raptors to unveil the Raptors' four new jerseys for the 2015-16 season during the Monday night affair.
That is one of the Raptors' two new black jerseys. The team also showed off new white and red jerseys.
But wait, let's get a better view at the jersey Drake chose to wear to display the new team gear.
Drake wore a Cory Joseph jersey for his annual hometown concert. Joseph has not even played a game for the Raptors. He has not even been on the roster for more than a month.
Thanks to his number and Drake's support, Joseph might see a nice spike in jersey sales. The 'Drake Effect' has already proven itself once before: After Drake dubbed former Raptors guard Lou Williams the "6 Man," he went on to win the Sixth Man of the Year award last season.
Naturally, Drake reminded everyone of his role in Williams' success.
Let's see if Drake can have the same bump for Joseph. Started from the bottom, now we're here.
More: Bismack Biyombo's Unusual Path To The NBA -- Follow Jeffrey Eisenband on Twitter @JeffEisenband.
