Toronto Raptors to play remainder of 2020-2021 season in Tampa

The Toronto Raptors will not be making a return North this season.

The team announced Thursday that they will play out the rest of the year in Tampa, Fla.

“Because of ongoing border restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and mindful of public safety measures in Canada, the team has decided they will continue to play their home games at Amalie Arena,” said the Raptors in a statement.

Because of Canada’s border restrictions and ongoing concerns with COVID-19, the Raptors were forced to play their home games out of Tampa for the first half of the season.

Though some NBA teams have begun to allow fans inside their arenas for games, Vinik Sports Group, which owns the Tampa Bay Lightning and Amalie Arena, announced in January the Raptors wouldn’t admit fans because coronavirus cases in the area have “risen sharply.”

“Florida has been really welcoming to us and we’re so grateful for the hospitality we’ve found in Tampa and at Amalie – we’re living in a city of champions, and we intend to carry on the tradition of winning for our new friends and fans here,” Raptors President Masai Ujiri said.

“But home is where the heart is, and our hearts are in Toronto. We think often of our fans, of our Scotiabank Arena family, and all those we are missing back home, and we can’t wait until we can all be together again.”

A schedule for the second half of the season is expected in the coming days, the team said.

Prior to the start of the season, the Raptors sent a delegation to Tampa to tour facilities. Raptors players voted that they preferred Tampa over cities such as Buffalo, N.Y.; Fort Lauderdale; Louisville, Ky.; Nashville; and Newark, N.J, among others.

After a slow start to the season, the Raptors have turned it around as of late, winning five out of their last six games.

Toronto has gone 5-5 in 10 “home” games to date at Amalie Arena.

As for other sports teams in the country, the NHL is rolling with an all-Canadian division that currently has the Toronto Maple Leafs playing home games at Scotiabank Arena.

Though not confirmed, The Toronto Blue Jays – who played their home games in Buffalo last season – are expected to play in Dunedin, Fla.