In a surprise move, ESPN announced on Wednesday that Drake has been tapped to host the 2014 ESPYs, to be broadcast live on July 16 from Los Angeles. Drake himself found a rather creative way of announcing his upcoming gig. The rapper tweeted an updated version of the cover for last year’s Nothing Was The Same cover, where the picture of him as a child had been replaced with a drawing of the award.

Drake
ESPN is banking on Drake's name for the ESPYs this year.

Drake isn’t an entirely surprising choice for presenter, given his ties to the world of sports. Last year, he signed on with NBA team Toronto Raptors to be a "Global Ambassador," helping to launch a Raptors clothing line, consulting on a redesign of the team's appearance and appearing in a commercial for the team. Recently, he backed Kentucky after their loss to UConn in in the championship game of the NCAA tournament, which turned out to be a major misstep on his part. The Hold On, We’re Going Home rapper has also been spotted mingling with various NBA players, so he must know a thing or two about the game – one of them, at least.

 "Drake is an unbelievably talented entertainer who truly has a passion for sports. We are thrilled to have him to host this year’s show," said Connor Schell, vice president, ESPN Films and Original Entertainment, in a statement, via Rolling Stone. The rapper has no previous hosting experience as far as sports go, but he has hosted the 2011 Juno awards, as well as an SNL episode earlier this year, which he used to boost his case for the ESPYs, according to TMZ.

The ESPYs, launched in 1993, will take place at L.A.'s Nokia Theatre at 9 p.m. EST on ESPN, with the award show raising more than $1 million a year for cancer research.

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Watch Drake leaving an LA restaurant with friends below.