TAMPA, Fla. — The Toronto Raptors will stay in Tampa for this year's whole season, as opposed to just the first half.
The NBA team announced Thursday that players would complete their 2020-21 schedule at Amalie Arena due to the continuing safety measures and US-Canada border restrictions linked to COVID-19.
“Florida has been really welcoming to us and we’re so grateful for the hospitality we’ve found in Tampa and at Amalie – we’re living in a city of champions, and we intend to carry on the tradition of winning for our new friends and fans here,” Raptors President Masai Ujiri wrote in a statement.
Ujiri made clear that the franchise's hearts remain in Toronto, the team's real home.
"We think often of our fans, of our Scotiabank Arena family, and all those we are missing back home, and we can’t wait until we can all be together again," Ujiri wrote.
A schedule for the rest of the season could be released as early as this week.
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