Soon after signing his first 10-day contract with the Toronto Raptors, Freddie Gillespie quickly proved he belonged with his tough rebounding and energetic play.
There was, however, one more rite of passage to overcome before he truly earned his stripes with the NBA club.
It’s a Raptors tradition for rookies to belt out a song karaoke-style at a practice. Last Friday, Gillespie and first-year guard Malachi Flynn were given the unenviable task of performing Miley Cyrus’s pop standard “Party in the U.S.A.” in front of the rest of the team.
In a video that went viral, and caught the attention of Canadian rap superstar Drake, Gillespie not only accepts the challenge, he goes a step further by adding a repertoire of dance moves to the routine.