The Toronto Raptors will be starting the 2020-21 NBA season in Tampa, the team said in a statement Friday.
Raptors owner Masai Ujiri released the following statement:
“The Raptors worked diligently with public health officials at the local, provincial and federal level to secure a plan that would permit us to play our 2020-21 season on home soil and on our home court at Scotiabank Arena. These conversations were productive, and we found strong support for the protocols we put forward. Ultimately, the current public health situation facing Canadians, combined with the urgent need to determine where we will play means that we will begin our 2020-21 season in Tampa, Florida.
We want to thank all levels of government and their public health officials for their dedication to this process, and for looking after the health of Canadians. We commit to continuing our work together, planning for a safe return to play in Toronto. And as an organization, we remain committed to doing all we can to promote and demonstrate public health measures to help combat the spread of COVID-19 in Canada.
So we’ll be away from our home and our fans for now. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. I’m not sure that’s possible for us – we love Toronto and Canada, and we know we have the best fans in the NBA. For now, I’ll ask you to cheer for us from afar, and we’ll look forward to the day we are all together again.”
Games will be played at AMALIE Arena, home of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Even Lightning Captain Steven Stamkos was excited about the news:
“ WE THE SOUTH” 😂 https://t.co/hVHlJKItrh
— Steven Stamkos (@RealStamkos91) November 20, 2020
This past MLB season, the Toronto Blue Jays had to make their home in Buffalo due to Canada's COVID-19 restrictions.
The NBA season tips off on Dec. 22.
