With the imminent release of his wildly anticipated Certified Lover Boy album upon us, Drake is certainly living up to the name after being spotted on a date with who appears to be Johanna Leia, the mother of Amari Bailey, one of the top high school basketball prospects in the nation.
The intimate rendevous, which took place on Friday (July 9) at an empty Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles, appeared to be a secret affair, however, ABC helicopter reporter Chris Cristi caught a glimpse of the rapper and Leia as he flew over the stadium, taking pictures and footage of the grand affair, which he then posted to his official Twitter account.
“@DRAKE ON A DATE? Randomly just flew over this cozy couple enjoying a private dinner along the third base line at an empty Dodger Stadium from #Air7HD @ABC #Drizzy,” Cristi wrote, effectively blowing up Drake’s spot, then tagging the “One Dance” singer in the post and creating a whirlwind of speculation around the identity of the woman in the photos.
.@DRAKE ON A DATE? Randomly just flew over this cozy couple enjoying a private dinner along the third base line at an empty Dodger Stadium from #Air7HD @ABC7 #Drizzy pic.twitter.com/SjMR1UOgbo
— Chris Cristi (@abc7chriscristi) July 9, 2021
It didn’t take long for social media sleuths to get the digging and connect the dots, with the overwhelming majority of commenters concluding that the mystery woman accompanying Drake was none other than Leia, a model, entrepreneur, and cast member on the Lifetime series, Bringing Up Ballers.
Leia, who shares Amari with her ex, Aaron Bailey, a former NFL player who starred with the Indianapolis Colts, is also a brand ambassador for Fashion Nova, which she regularly sports and promotes on her Instagram. Amari is a highly coveted basketball talent who plays for Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth, Calif. alongside Bronny James, son of NBA megastar LeBron James, who happens to be good friends with Drake.
An avid sports fan himself, Drake has been seen at various Sierra Canyon games this past season, rooting on Bronny, Amari, and the rest of the squad. In fact, in June clips of Drake and Michael B. Jordan on the sideline of a game, went viral—with Leia in close proximity.
Recently named California’s Mr. Basketball, 17-year-old Bailey, a junior guard set to graduate in the class of 2022, is currently ranked No. 3 on the ESPN 100 list, the top overall shooting guard in his class, and has committed to attend UCLA upon graduating from high school.
While neither Drake nor Leia has confirmed the reports, social media posts of Bailey and Champagne Papi hanging out together and Leia rocking OVO gear have only added fuel to the fire.