Mayor Quinton Lucas says KC is open to serving as temporary home for NBA’s Raptors
Earlier this month, the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA Finals, nearly four months later than the league champion is usually crowned.
That’s because of the COVID-19 pandemic, of course. The NBA finished the season in a bubble, but it is hoping to play games at home arenas in the 2020-21 season, which could start shortly before Christmas (per Shams Charania of The Athletic).
Among the issues facing the NBA is where the Toronto Raptors will play. Travel between the U.S. and Canada has been restricted during the pandemic, so a pair of Toronto teams found temporary homes in the United States this season.
The Blue Jays played in Buffalo, New York, while Toronto FC’s alternative location is in East Hartford, Connecticut.
As for the Raptors, Louisville’s KFC Yum! Center has been considered as a potential home for Toronto, per Bleacher Report.
On Saturday, Mayor Quinton Lucas threw Kansas City’s name in the ring. Lucas wrote on Twitter “the Raptors in KC would be a perfect match. We will make sure the right folks know #KCMO and @tmobilecenter are ready.”
The T-Mobile Center opened in 2007 with the understanding that an NBA or NHL team would hopefully one day call it home. That hasn’t happened, and because of the pandemic, there have been no concerts at the T-Mobile Center since March.
The most recent cancellation: Sunday’s Five Finger Death Punch show.
So, it seems the NBA wouldn’t have to worry about finding home dates in KC. However, one fan wondered if the Raptors would take attention away from KU. Lucas said not to worry:
The Raptors won the 2019 NBA championship, and their 53-19 record this past season was second-best in the Eastern Conference. Toronto was eliminated in the playoffs by the Boston Celtics in seven games.
Former Wichita State guard Fred VanVleet is one of the Raptors’ top players.
This story was originally published October 24, 2020 at 12:59 PM.
