The Toronto Raptors, a franchise representing a country with 37 million people from coast to coast, just made NBA history by being the first team outside the United States to be crowned world champions. The poetry of basketball being invented over a century ago by James Naismith, a Canadian athlete and educator, and coming full circle Thursday night is not lost on a nation that is currently experiencing a euphoric delirium.
Toronto’s 114-110 victory over the Golden State Warriors was 24 long years in the making. It not only represents Toronto’s emergence on the world stage — a process that has been meticulously cultivated over the past decade — but signals a sea change about sporting dominance in the city’s collective consciousness.
Long thought of as a hockey-obsessed city, Toronto has not been able to celebrate any measure of NHL success since 1967, the last time the Maple Leafs reached the Stanley Cup Final. That means that growing up, I heard about legends like Dave Keon and Red Kelly, who were members of a roster that reached its pinnacle 20 years before I was born.
It’s true that the last major league club — excluding MLS’ Toronto Football Club — to win a title was the Toronto Blue Jays in their back-to-back World Series wins of 1992 and 1993. However, I was a toddler when they did this, and most of my peers were toddlers and don’t have any recollection of it.
This means that for a maturing and diverse millennial population, the Toronto Raptors are the first taste of sporting success that we have ever known. And the happiness, pride and bewilderment is an emotional experience that is still hard to process.
It also feels as if the Raptors’ victory is a triumph for more than just the city of Toronto. This felt like the Olympic Games. An entire nation — with “Jurassic Park” viewing parties popping up in dozens of cities including Saskatoon, Ottawa and Halifax — came together in a moment that is usually reserved for elections and gold-medal hockey.
The success of the Raptors rests against the backdrop of one of the most multicultural fan bases in all of sports. A city and country that continues to demonstrate the strength of its pluralism was given an amazing platform to share that with the rest of the world. Whether it was the incredible story of Raptors superfan Nav Bhatia or the team’s supporters gathered outside Scotiabank Arena, Canada’s amazing diversity was on full display.
This comes at a time when fears about immigration and integration are reaching a fever pitch around the world, including in countries in Europe and in the United States. Even in Canada, where a federal election looms, xenophobic rhetoric is creeping into our political discourse.
Despite our turbulent world, the NBA and its transcendent cultural appeal has a unique opportunity to bring people together to celebrate our shared experiences. The league and its soft power could become one of the most important power and peace brokers around the world. Indeed, it has already taken steps in this direction through the establishment of the Basketball Africa League — which is led by Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri and backed by his friend, former President Barack Obama, who was in Toronto for Game 2 of the finals.
With so much at stake, it is clear why the NBA has become the most important league in North America. With stars like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry, the NBA’s global popularity grows because of their examples of talent, work ethic, class and social activism. That mixture could position the league as a cultural influencer for years to come.
For now, though, Toronto and all of Canada will bask in the soft and tender glow of championship basketball. And pray that Kawhi Leonard stays.
Adam Kassam is a Toronto-based rehabilitation physician who writes about popular culture, health care and international relations.