New Tatt, Who Dis? Drake Pulls A Tattoo Switcheroo With LeBron James Ink, Covers It Up With SGA Tribute

Drake has covered his tattoo of LeBron James with a new tattoo depicting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a move that signals the permanent end of his friendship with the NBA superstar. This change was observed during Drake's performance at the Twenty Years of Wireless festival in London, where fans noticed his original LeBron tattoo—featuring James in his high school jersey—had been replaced with Gilgeous-Alexander's Oklahoma City Thunder jersey.

The rift between Drake and LeBron stems from a deterioration in their once-close relationship, which had included frequent public appearances together at games and Drake's tribute tattoo. Tensions escalated last year during Drake's feud with rapper Kendrick Lamar, particularly after LeBron publicly supported Lamar. This included LeBron rapping lyrics from Lamar's diss track "Not Like Us" and attending Lamar's Juneteenth 2024 concert, where the song was prominently featured, actions Drake perceived as a betrayal.

In response, Drake released lyrical disses aimed at LeBron, such as the January 2025 track "Fighting Irish Freestyle"—a reference to LeBron's high school—and calling out LeBron and DeMar DeRozan for their presence at Lamar's concert. He further intensified the feud in February 2025 by altering lyrics during a Perth concert performance of "Nonstop," changing "How I go from six to 23 like I’m LeBron?" to "How I go from six to 23 but not LeBron, man." Drake later addressed the fallout in his song "What Did I Miss?" with lines criticizing LeBron's actions.

The choice to replace the tattoo with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is significant, as Gilgeous-Alexander shares Toronto roots with Drake and recently led the Oklahoma City Thunder to an NBA championship in the 2024-25 season, earning MVP and Finals MVP honors. His Canadian background and stellar performance, including appearing in Drake's "NOKIA" music video, make him a fitting symbol for Drake's new allegiance.

While LeBron appeared unbothered—attending a Bad Bunny concert in Puerto Rico shortly after Drake's latest diss—Drake's tattoo alteration confirms the definitive end of their bromance.