Drake appears to have taken another shot at LeBron James during his exclusive NOCTA Manor 2026 retreat. Photos from the event showed a T-shirt carrying the spray-painted message, “The only LeBron I rate is Juan,” which fans quickly interpreted as a jab at the NBA superstar.
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The message refers to Juan Lebrón Chincoa, the Spanish professional padel player who was among the notable figures connected to this year’s NOCTA gathering. The phrase also appears to borrow from Jay-Z’s “Oceans” lyric about Christopher Wallace, giving Drake’s apparent dig another layer of hip-hop wordplay.
The shirt arrives amid continued speculation that Drake and James’ once-close friendship has fallen apart. The tension became a major topic after James attended Kendrick Lamar’s Pop Out concert in Los Angeles and was later seen enjoying “Not Like Us,” the hit diss record aimed at Drake. Drake subsequently unfollowed James on Instagram and appeared to reference the situation through his music.
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During a 2025 performance in Australia, Drake even changed his “Nonstop” lyric from “How I go from 6 to 23 like I’m LeBron” to “How I go from 6 to 23, but not LeBron, man.” He was also believed to have addressed James and others who supported Kendrick Lamar through his “Fighting Irish Freestyle,” although he did not directly name the basketball star.
Neither Drake nor LeBron James has publicly confirmed the full reason behind their apparent fallout, and James has not directly responded to the NOCTA Manor shirt. Still, the pointed message suggests Drake is not ready to leave the situation behind, adding another public moment to a friendship that once regularly brought the rapper and basketball icon together.
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