Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri is holding out hope the team can play the 2020-21 season at home.
In an op-ed published in The Toronto Star on Friday, Ujiri said the Raptors have submitted proposals to various levels of government about how the team could host visiting organizations for regular-season games at Scotiabank Arena, whether or not fans are allowed to attend.
“We want to do this safely, smartly and responsibly. We wouldn’t even suggest doing it any other way. Public health is the priority. Period,” wrote Ujiri.
“The onus is on us to figure out a solution that everyone feels will protect Canadians, our players and staff, and their families and neighbours. None of us wants to put anyone we care for at risk. We have to look out for everyone’s health — I am committed to that and that is what we are doing.”
Ujiri said the Raptors’ pitch to governments is built off the successes of the NBA’s Orlando bubble, which didn’t see a player receive a positive result, including daily testing, limiting contact and safe travel.
The clock is ticking for the club with a Dec. 22 start date to the NBA season and Dec. 1 opening of training camps fast approaching, and a solution to the closure of the Canada/U.S. border for non-essential travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic remaining a massive hurdle to its aspirations of playing at home.
With the pressure mounting, Ujiri acknowledged the team is looking at “other options,” but reiterated the goal is to play at home.
“We are proud to represent our city and our country, and we hope to be able to do that while playing in Toronto,” he wrote.
“Cities in the United States have been very kind to us — they’ve offered us a home away from home. To them I say: Thank you. To you, I say that I hope we get to tell them we won’t be able to take them up on their generous offer.”
Sportsnet’s Michael Grange reported earlier this week that the Tampa Bay area has emerged from several potential destinations — Nashville, Kansas City and Buffalo among them — as the most likely temporary home for the Raptors.
But if the Raptors were to remain in Toronto, Ujiri believes the team can provide a unique service to Canadians, one that could help with their “collective recovery” from the pandemic.
“I think we can bring people together, even when we are apart. I think we can inspire. I think we can set an example,” he wrote.
“I know we will share what we will learn playing this season under safety protocols, and maybe that experience makes it a little bit easier for all of us to get back to the lives we left behind in March 2020.”
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