"Drake just thought I wasn't that beneficial for the team" - Throwback to when Genie Bouchard was benched by rapper Drake at an NBA celebrity game

Eugenie Bouchard was once a part of the celebrity line-up during an NBA All-Stars weekend. The event, which took place in Toronto in 2016, was contested between Team Canada and Team USA. Rapper Drake was selected as the coach for the Canadian side, which included tennis players Eugenie Bouchard and Milos Raonic.

In an interview with FAIR GAME in 2019, the Canadian tennis star revealed the unique experience of being coached by an iconic artist like Drake. She revealed that he was full of positive spirit as a coach and asked the players to enjoy the game. The 2014 Wimbledon finalist, however, felt that the artist could have given more tips and tricks about winning the game.

"He was super positive. He was like, ‘Everyone, let’s go and have fun’ and I was kind of like, ‘Give us more tactics, we really want to win’ because it was like Team Canada versus Team USA,” recalled Bouchard.

The former World No.5 also disclosed that although the rapper suggested that the players have fun, he was not pleased with Bouchard’s performance in the male-dominated squad and decided to bench her.

“And he was like, ‘yeah go and have fun’ and I went to go play a shift and I came back and he was like, ‘Genie, I am benching you’ Ya," stated the former Wimbledon finalist. "I was really not good and it was mostly men playing as well and you know, the egos were coming out and men were trying to show off and no one was passing me the ball and Drake just thought I wasn’t that beneficial for the team.”

Bouchard, however, joked that she wasn’t too upset about being sidelined from the winning team as the rapper’s fragrant cologne made up for it.

“I still love him, you know, he smells amazing so he made up for it. I don’t know what cologne he uses, but when you go in for a hug, you’re just like, in heaven,” she added.