Brand consultant Steve Stoute was recently hired to help rebrand the image of the New York Knicks basketball franchise. However, during his appearance on ESPN’s First Take on Tuesday (Feb. 11), the veteran music executive appeared to compare himself to Drake and implied that the team would be looking to hire a new head coach.

“We gotta get athletes to believe that they can come here (New York City) and actually be their best selves. That hasn’t transpired over recent times and I understand some of the reasons why; we got to solve that issue,” he said on the show. “I just think there’s a culture of winning and excitement that New York City has. New York City is the hub of sports and entertainment. That’s how I feel. And it started moving around. My job is to bring that back.”

Stoute then added, “Toronto Raptors brought in Drake...the New York Knicks brought in me."

Hours later, the Knicks organization and Stoute released a joint statement clarifying that Stoute has no role in basketball operations.

"While Steve Stoute is a valued member to the Knicks' marketing and branding efforts, he does not speak on behalf of the New York Knicks personnel or basketball operations. Any decision regarding the operations of the team will be made by the new president of the New York Knicks," reads the statement.

Stoute added that he made an "inadvertent insinuation" about the Knicks’ personnel during his interview on First Take.

"In my excitement to defend the New York Knicks today on live TV, I inadvertently insinuated about New York Knicks personnel," he stated. "I look forward to working with Knicks management to elevate the Knicks brand moving forward."

Meanwhile, on Twitter, folks have been clowning Stoute with hilarious memes by using the infamous photo of 50 Cent confronting Stoute at a Knicks game at Madison Square Garden back in March 2014. Other people found it funny that Stoute would compare himself to Drake, who is the brand ambassador for the Toronto Raptors.

Check out peoples' reactions and memes below.

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