Raptors will play home games in Tampa for the 2020-12 season
The Toronto Raptors and other NBA teams will not be allowed to play games in Canada for the 2020-21 season, according to The Associated Press.
Instead, the Raptors play their home games in Tampa, according to multiple reports.
A statement from our president Masai Ujiri. pic.twitter.com/qrnPt5MEsA
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) November 20, 2020
The federal government dashed the plans for the Raptors to play homes games in Scotiabank Arena, per the Toronto Star.
Read: NFL Implements Increased Coronavirus RestrictionsÂ
For months, while the NBA worked to come up with medical protocols and public safety measures that would allow them to play games in Canada, the Raptors were looking for a new location to play their home games during the upcoming season, according to Toronto Star.
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Toronto isn’t the first team to relocate to the United States to play home games during the pandemic. The Blue Jays played their games at Sahlen Field in Buffalo—the home of their Triple-A affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons—after the Canadian government said it would not allow them to host games at the Rogers Centre.
Canada has accumulated more than 316,000 cases of COVID-19, according to the Canada Government Database. Toronto has reported nearly 36,500 COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday.
The NBA season begins on Dec. 22
