The Toronto Raptors will continue to play matches at home in Tampa, Florida for the remainder of the 2020-21 NBA season, citing border restrictions and “observance of public safety measures” in Toronto as factors preventing them from returning home. time. this chapter.
“Florida has welcomed us and we are very grateful for the hospitality we found in Tampa and Amalie [Arena]. “We live in the City of Champions and intend to continue the winning tradition of our friends and new fans here,” said Raptors President Masai Ujiri in a statement on Thursday.
“But home is where our heart is in Toronto. We often think of our fans, the Scotiabank Arena family and everything we miss at home, and we can’t wait until we can all be together.
The Raptors spent weeks before the season working with the city of Toronto trying to find a way to play at home, then eventually moving to the United States.
At the time, the Raptors said they hoped to return to Toronto later in the season, and said the decision to move to Tampa was only consistent during the first half of the season.
It became official for the whole season on Thursday.
The Toronto Blue Jays baseball game went through a similar process last summer, negotiating to play at home before finally moving to Buffalo, New York, for the 2020 season.
After starting season 2-8, the Raptors have gone 10-5 since, 6-5 at Amalie Arena. They have a chance to hit 0.500 Thursday night when they visit the Boston Celtics.