What's The Drake Kentucky Basketball Meme? The Viral 'He Thinks He's On The Team' Photo Explained

The Drake Kentucky Basketball meme is an old photo of the rapper sitting with all of the college players, wearing the same blue warm-up outfit as all of them.

He looks hilariously out of place and the photo has become the symbol of the Blud Thinks He’s On The Team meme that asks, "Who invited my man blud?" Since last night's big March Madness loss for the Kentucky Wildcats, interest in this viral photo is skyrocketing.

But where did the original photo come from? Why was Drake in their locker room, and why does he love the University of Kentucky so much? Let's explain.

Where Did The Drake Basketball Meme Come From?

The original photo of Drake sitting with the Kentucky Wildcats was posted by Drake himself to his own Instagram back in 2014. He's seen wearing the same warm-up outfit as everyone else, perhaps trying to blend in with the guys.

Seen in the photo's bottom righthand corner is current NBA player and All-Star Devin Booker who, before playing with the Phoenix Suns, played for the Wildcats. Behind Drake, Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Karl Anthony-Towns is also seen drinking a water bottle.

Drake was hanging out with the Wildcats that day for the 2014 Big Blue Madness. He even went out on the court to shoot around with the squad before the game, under the big lights. There's also a viral video of him airballing a three from the same day.

Why Does Drake Love Kentucky Basketball?

Drake's love for Kentucky Basketball is second to his love for the Toronto Raptors (his hometown). But, strangely, he chose a non-Canadian NCAA team to fawn over. Plus, most of his family is from Memphis, Tennessee.

In an old interview with ESPN, Drake said that he bonded with the University of Kentucky when he performed there and "it was just a lot of energy." He added that he became friends with Wildcat players like John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Patrick Patterson, who all later became NBA players and stars.

Where Did The 'Blud Thinks He’s On The Team' Meme Come From?

Although Drake's Kentucky Basketball photo became the symbol of the "Blud Thinks He’s On The Team" meme, the catchphrase originally comes from football (or soccer) meme creators back 2021.

Basically, there was a Zoom call between famous players in the Premier League during the pandemic and one guy, Manchester United player Scott McTominay, just looked out of place.

For the full history of Blud Thinks He’s On The Team, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's entry for even more information.