Toronto Raptors to Start Next NBA Season as Snowbirds in Tampa

Continued closure of U.S.-Canadian border forced the move
MLB’s Toronto Blue Jays decamped to Buffalo earlier this year

Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors drives to the basket against the Boston Celtics during a game in Orlando, Fla., on Sept. 11. — Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors drives to the basket against the Boston Celtics during a game in Orlando, Fla., on Sept. 11.
Photographer: Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

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By Brandon Kochkodin

November 20, 2020 at 6:42 PM UTC

The Toronto Raptors will make their home in Tampa, Florida, for the beginning of the National Basketball Association’s 2020-2021 season, a response to border controls between Canada and the U.S.

The team made the announcement Friday, two days after the Canadian government extended the closure of its border until Dec. 21 as cases of Covid-19 have surged across the U.S.