Drake allegedly covers up LeBron James tattoo with fellow Canadian’s jersey

The once-tight bond between Drake and LeBron James has taken a hit over the past year, and things have escalated recently as the Canadian rapper appears to have covered up his tattoo of the NBA icon.

Back in 2018, Drake paid tribute to their friendship with a tattoo of LeBron James in his St. Vincent-St. Mary “Fighting Irish” jersey inked on his left bicep. But now, fans have noticed that recent pictures show that the ink has seemingly been replaced with a new tattoo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

The updated tattoo on Drake’s left bicep now features a Thunder jersey with the No. 2 — the number worn by the reigning MVP, Finals MVP and latest NBA 2K cover star.

Drake and Gilgeous-Alexander, both hailing from Canada, have publicly supported each other. The Thunder guard even appeared in the music video for Drake’s track “Nokia” and has been spotted at his concerts.

Drake also sports tattoos of other NBA stars, including Steph Curry and Kevin Durant. Though he's friends with many athletes, not all relationships have stayed strong, as seen with his now-faded ties to both LeBron James and DeMar DeRozan.

In his latest track, “What Did I Miss?”, Drake took what seemed to be a swipe at DeRozan for changing allegiances.

“I saw bro at ‘The Pop Out’ with them but been d**kriding gang since ‘Headlines,’” Drake rapped in the song, apparently referring to DeRozan’s surprise appearance at Kendrick Lamar’s “The Pop Out” concert — where he was seen vibing to “Not Like Us,” a diss track aimed at Drake.

“Headlines” is a 2011 single from Drake’s sophomore album Take Care, released during the same period when DeRozan, then playing for the Raptors, began to rise in NBA circles.

The Compton native also made a cameo in the “Not Like Us” music video, standing among a host of notable Compton figures.

Drake has unreleased freestyle that appears to reference bond with LeBron James

Back in January, a leaked Drake freestyle titled “Fighting Irish” — the same phrase featured in his original LeBron tattoo — surfaced and seemed to reference a past exchange between the two.

"Remember we traded watches, I gave you the Arabic dial and you gave me the numbered edition,” Drake rapped in the song.

Fans quickly connected the bars to specific watches Drake and LeBron James previously owned and shared online what they believe are the timepieces in question.

Drake’s next project, “Iceman,” is on the way. He dropped the lead single “What Did I Miss” on July 5.