Four People Are SHOT At The Raptors NBA Victory Parade

The procession began with Raptors guard Kyle Lowry holding the Larry O’Brien trophy atop one of five double-decker buses while Kawhi Leonard enjoyed a cigar with his NBA Finals MVP trophy in the back of another.

Leonard, a New Balance spokesman, was wearing a shirt from the apparel company that reads, ‘Board Man Gets Paid,’ which is a reference to his famously even-keeled demeanor. The Raptors forward will be a free agent this summer, and some have speculated he could sign with the Clippers in his native Los Angeles or even the Brooklyn Nets.

At one point Leonard’s three-year-old daughter Kaliyah could be seen napping in the top of one of the buses alongside the former San Diego State star and his girlfriend, the girl’s mother, Kishele Shipley.

Naturally, Toronto native and Raptors ‘global ambassador’ Drake was along for the ride, and was seen partying with Leonard and his mother.

Perhaps more surprisingly, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau even joined the parade, albeit briefly.  

Trudeau was seen slapping fives with fans and interacting with players before the shooting. It’s not quite clear what his proximity to the square was at the time of the incident.

Streets were closed off to accommodate the convoy carrying the Raptors, and three subway stations were also closed due to overcrowding on the street level. Enthusiastic fans festooned the streets of Toronto wearing red, purple, black and white.

A few fans climbed atop of bus stops and the arches of Nathan Phillips Square, but were asked by police to come down.

As crowds swelled along the streets, several people were put on stretchers due to dehydration. Dancers, security guards and the organizers were seen handing out water to the fans, who continued to throng streets leading up to the square.

The Snowbirds, an aerobatic flight demonstration team of the Royal Canadian Air Forces, soared over the skies of Toronto to join the festivities.

Drake was named the Raptors’ global ambassador in 2013 and is a member of the team’s executive committee, although his exact role is somewhat undefined.

He made headlines during the Eastern Conference Finals series against the Milwaukee Bucks for his sideline antics, which included giving Raptors coach Nick Nurse an impromptu back rub.

But while the Canadian rapper has become closely identified with the Raptors, Monday’s parade put the spotlight on the team’s growing army of fans.

Lifelong Raptors fan Morteza Hashimi told CBC that he spent the night sleeping on the concrete at the Square so he wouldn’t have an obstructed view of the festivities.

‘It’s really important because the amount of years we’ve spent watching this team, the amount of heartbreaks, the devastation that we’ve had in playoffs and the really bad years that we’ve gone through,’ Hashimi said.

‘To finally have this great achievement, it’s really important to have front row seats to be able see and witness everything.’

‘I’ll probably tear up a little bit to be honest with you,’ he laughed.

Beforehand, Bartlett said fans can expect the ‘biggest party Toronto has ever seen on Monday.’

‘We got a few surprises up our sleeves but we are going to leave some of that for (Monday),’ he said. ‘I can guarantee you that each and every Toronto Raptor will be there as will our front office team.’

And Bartlett encouraged fans to wear any gear representing the team’s history in the city.

‘This is Canada’s team, so whether it be red, whether it be black and gold, whether it be the old school purple, wear it proud and be part of our 24-year-run to become world champions,’ he said.

Lowry, for one, wore a throwback Raptors jersey from the team’s inception in 1995.

Mayor John Tory declared Monday ‘We The North’ day to honor the team.

‘As we gather to celebrate the first NBA championship in Raptors’ history, I encourage everyone in our city to show our support, pride, love, and appreciation for this incredible team,’ reads the proclamation he signed.

Tory also gave the Raptors’ players the key to the city.

Meanwhile, the defeated Warriors showed they had class when they took out a full-page ad in Monday’s Toronto Star to congratulate the Raptors on their first NBA title.

It features a black-and-white photo of Warriors point guard Stephen Curry hugging the Raptors’ Lowry after Game 6.

‘The Golden State Warriors congratulate the Toronto Raptors on their historic achievement and bringing the 2019 NBA championship to the City of Toronto,’ it read.

Basketball is not exactly new to Canada.

In 1947 the BAA, the NBA’s predecessor, held its first game in Toronto between the visiting New York Knickerbockers and the hometown Huskies, who formally disbanded before the second season.

Dr. James Naismith was actually born and raised in Ontario before going on to invent basketball at a YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1891 at the age of 30.

Of course, Toronto is the home of the Hockey Hall of Fame and the city has been identified with the NHL’s Maple Leafs since the franchise’s founding in 1917.

Recently though, Canada’s most populated city has struggled in its most popular sport as the Leafs are currently suffering through longest active title drought in the NHL at 52 years and counting.

Besides the Argonauts’ five most recent CFL titles, Toronto has not had a major championship to celebrate since the Blue Jays last won the World Series in 1993.

At the time, the Blue Jays were one of two Canadian franchise in Major League Baseball, along with the Montreal Expos (now the Washington Nationals).

Similarly, the Raptors were once part of a pair of Canadian franchises in the NBA, entering the league as an expansion franchise alongside the Vancouver Grizzlies in 1995.

But, after the Grizzlies relocated to Memphis in 2001, the Raptors took on the identity as Canada’s team, hence the slogan: ‘We the North.’

Bruce Kidd, a kinesiology and physical education professor at the University of Toronto who specializes in sports history, believes the Raptors came to symbolize a new ‘pan-Canadian’ fandom.

‘The Raptors are representative of what Canada is and what’s it’s becoming,’ Kidd told the Global News.

Whereas the country once lived and died with the NHL, now, Toronto’s Diana Macecevic explained, her boss was happy to give her the day off to enjoy an NBA victory parade.

‘This is a really exciting moment for Canada and the Raptors. They worked really hard for this,’ Macecevic, 31, told the Global News. ‘I’ve been a Raptors fan since I was a kid, and to see this accomplishment and to be a part of the celebrations is really special.’

Mayor John Tory said many businesses closed their doors on Monday.

‘I was talking to some people down in (Nathan Phillips Square) just now and they said indeed that their employers had said it was OK for them to come,’ Tory told CP24 on Monday morning.

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‘I was hearing about a law firm where they had just given up. So many people were planning to go that they just gave up and said, ‘Well you should all go then,’ and they closed the office.’

Two weeks from now, the Raptors’ roster might look as different as Danny Green’s combed-out mohawk with looming decisions from Leonard, Marc Gasol and Green that brought an air of uncertainty to Monday’s street party in Ontario.

Leonard will opt out of the final year of his contract to become a free agent.

The Raptors expected this bit of paperwork even before Leonard was acquired from the San Antonio Spurs last summer. What they won’t know until at least June 30 is whether Leonard ever will wear a Toronto uniform again.

The Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls and others are known to have serious interest in signing Leonard. Of course, the Raptors hope he will choose to stay put after carrying the franchise to its first title.

‘I don’t think there’s any other player of his caliber right now in the NBA,’ Gasol said. ‘He’s on a pedestal by himself.’

Gasol also has a player option he could decline. If Leonard leaves, the exodus behind him could be devastating.

‘Let’s not be foolish,’ said Green, whose tightly wound Mohawk was unfurled for Monday’s festivities with the top of the hairline about seven feet off the ground. ‘His decision affects a lot of guys’ decisions. He can change a whole organization.’

Story cited here.

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