Masai Ujiri, the president of the basketball operations team, said the Raptors had been working with Canadian health officials at the local, provincial and federal levels to come up with a plan that would enable the team to start the 2020-21 season at Scotiabank Play arena in Toronto.
“Ultimately, the current public health situation for Canadians, coupled with an urgent need to determine where we will play, means that we begin our 2020-21 season in Tampa, Florida,” said Ujiri.
In July, the Canadian government denied Major League Baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays permission to host games at their home stadium, Rogers Center in Toronto, due to similar travel restrictions. The Blue Jays played their home games at Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York during the 2020 shortened baseball season.
No further details were disclosed, including how long the Raptors will be in Florida or how long they will stay, train or host games in Tampa.
“We pledge to continue our work together and plan a safe return to Toronto,” said Ujiri. “And as an organization, we continue to do all we can to promote and demonstrate public health action to combat the spread of COVID-19 in Canada.”
CNN has asked the league for a comment.
The NBA’s 75th regular season, shortened to 72 games for each team, will begin on Tuesday, December 22nd.
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