TORONTO -- Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri says he hopes his team will be able to play games on their home court in the upcoming season despite the U.S.-Canada border restrictions.
In an interview with 麻豆传媒 Chief Anchor and Senior Editor Lisa LaFlamme on Thursday, Ujiri said he understands the health and safety issues of transporting players to and from the U.S., and would be willing to work with Canadian health officials to make Toronto games happen.
鈥淲e are Canada鈥檚 team. We want that opportunity and that is working with public health, that is working with the government, the province, that鈥檚 working with everybody trying to figure out a way to keep the Raptors here,鈥� Ujiri said.
The border remains closed to non-essential travel and anyone entering Canada must quarantine for 14 days. Both the U.S. and Canada broke their daily COVID-19 records this week, with Canada reporting 4,981 reported cases on Thursday.
The NBA plans to start the 2020-21 season on Dec. 22, with training camps opening Dec. 1.
In his pitch, Ujiri said the NBA has a strong track record of taking the pandemic seriously and was among the first to shut down after players got infected early in the year.
鈥淭he NBA came back and I think organized a very successful bubble working with everybody. The Players鈥� Association, working with public health, and that鈥檚 what we want to do in Canada,鈥� he said.
Ujiri said the NBA has complex protocols in place that he believes address public health concerns. He also pitched home games as a way to spread 鈥渉appiness鈥� in a year when many Canadians are struggling.
鈥淪ports brings people together,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e feel we are therapeutic, in some kind of way.鈥�
Professional sports have been missing in Toronto for months. The Toronto Blue Jays were denied permission to play their games at home and relocated temporarily to Buffalo, N.Y., earlier this year. The only exception is the NHL, which chose Toronto and Edmonton as hub cities for its games.
Ujiri鈥檚 pitch comes on the same day as Ontario set a new record for COVID-19 cases, with new modelling suggesting that up to 6,500 daily cases could be reported by mid-December.
On top from the pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement was a major topic during the last NBA season. Players across the league wore jerseys with anti-racism slogans and used press conferences as opportunities to discuss racial injustices, such as the deaths of George Floyd to Breonna Taylor.
Asked about the lasting impact of the movement, Ujiri pointed to the results of the U.S. election.
鈥淭he lasting impact is Biden won the election,鈥� he said.
With files from The Canadian Press
