Drake Put Jimmy Brooks’ Jersey Back in Circulation With OVO’s Degrassi Collection

DrakeHip-Hop · TorontoArtist profile →

Before the stadium tours, Drake was Jimmy Brooks, the Degrassi Panthers’ basketball star, and now the jersey is back. OVO and WildBrain, the company that holds the Degrassi franchise, launched the OVO x Degrassi collection on Friday (Sept. 25), a Made in Canada capsule that Revolt says arrives just ahead of the 25th anniversary of Degrassi: The Next Generation in October.

The centerpiece is an archival-style recreation of the basketball jersey Drake wore as Jimmy Brooks, the role he played from 2001 to 2009. A cotton Panthers football jersey is numbered 86, which is his birth year. The rest is school-spirit wardrobe in the show’s blue and gold: a fleece varsity jacket finished with layered twill patchwork, a fleece sweatsuit, a heritage crewneck, gym staples modeled on phys-ed uniforms, a tote and a sport cap, per Hypebeast.

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WildBrain’s Ben Peace framed it as a Toronto story. In the press release quoted by Revolt, he said the collection “captures the school spirit and athletic tradition that generations of fans have come to associate with ‘Degrassi.’”

The campaign doubles as a reunion. StyleRave reports that Andrea Lewis, Miriam McDonald, Melissa McIntyre, Shane Kippel, Daniel Clark, Mike Lobel and Christina Schmidt appear in the imagery. It isn’t the first time he has gathered the class. His 2018 “I’m Upset” video reunited much of the cast in a staged high school reunion, directed by Karena Evans.

He has talked about what the role asked of him. In archival footage from the 2025 documentary Degrassi: Whatever It Takes, Revolt notes, Drake discussed playing Jimmy after the character was shot at school in the show’s fourth season.

A lot more went into playing Jimmy after I got shot, for sure. It gave me something to study. It gave me homework.

Drake, Revolt

The timing sits inside a bigger OVO story. In late August, Authentic Brands Group took a 51% majority stake in the label, with Drake keeping 44% and Vince Holding Corp. taking 5% plus global retail and licensing duties, Hypebeast reported. OVO’s creative and design teams stay in Toronto, which is exactly where a Degrassi capsule is supposed to be made.

The collection launched Sept. 25, and the show’s anniversary itself lands next month.

Added to the High Grailed archive on October 11, 2026.