The Toronto Raptors are on the cusp of appearing in their first NBA finals in franchise history.
However, the special moment has been nearly 25 years and several losing seasons in the making.
John Bitove said he and his business partner knew when they founded the team in 1995 that basketball would never replace hockey in Toronto and especially in Canada.
“Hockey has its own place in Canadian society, but we’re going to go after kids, women, new Canadians. We’re going to embed basketball as their sport,” Bitove recalled thinking at the time.
“We did believe it could happen and it’s happening.”
All signs do point to enthusiasm for Canada’s only basketball team being at an all-time high.
Of course, there’s Toronto-born rapper Drake, who has become something of an unofficial mascot for the club, known for excitedly prowling the sidelines from his courtside seats.
#raptors one game away from the #nbafinals and the moment we had a surprise scrum with @drake @CityNews @680NEWS pic.twitter.com/TgNeVfzw5I
— Lindsay Dunn (@LindsayDunnTV) May 24, 2019
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said his son is a “massive” Raptors fan and the playoff run has had him staying up a little later than planned to watch the games.
Ticket prices also continue to rise, with the average price for Saturday’s Game 6 in Toronto sitting around $700 a seat.
Tourism Toronto suggested the team’s success has given Toronto a level of exposure in the United States that doesn’t happen often.
That enthusiasm will skyrocket if the Raptors can finish off the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Eastern Conference final.
Game 6 is scheduled for 5:30 PST in Toronto on Saturday night.
With files from the Canadian Press.
