The Toronto Raptors will begin the 2020-21 NBA season in Tampa, Florida, the team said in a statement Friday.
The Raptors were unable to reach an agreement with the Canadian government on a plan to play their home games at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto amid the coronavirus pandemic. The team instead will play its games at Amalie Arena, home of the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning.
An official familiar with the government's decision told The Associated Press on Friday that there is too much COVID-19 circulating in the United States to allow for cross-border travel that is not essential.
"The Raptors worked diligently with public health officials at the local, provincial and federal level to secure a plan that would permit us to play our 2020-21 season on home soil and on our home court at Scotiabank Arena," Raptors president Masai Ujiri said in a statement. "These conversations were productive, and we found strong support for the protocols we put forward.
"Ultimately, the current public health situation facing Canadians, combined with the urgent need to determine where we will play means that we will begin our 2020-21 season in Tampa, Florida."
The Raptors and the NBA needed an exemption to a requirement that anyone entering Canada for nonessential reasons must isolate for 14 days. The U.S.-Canada border remains closed to nonessential travel.
The Canadian government had been reviewing a proposal from the NBA and the Raptors. The team had said it needed to know this week with training camp less than two weeks away.
The official told The Associated Press there is a chance the decision could be reviewed at some point next year.
Steven Stamkos, the captain of the Stanley Cup champion Lightning, welcomed his new neighbors on Twitter with a play on the NBA team's familiar slogan.
" WE THE SOUTH" 😂 https://t.co/hVHlJKItrh
— Steven Stamkos (@RealStamkos91) November 20, 2020
Ujiri said the Raptors will continue to work with the Canadian government on a plan "for a safe return" to play in Toronto.
"So we'll be away from our home and our fans for now," Ujiri said in the statement. "They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. I'm not sure that's possible for us -- we love Toronto and Canada, and we know we have the best fans in the NBA. For now, I'll ask you to cheer for us from afar, and we'll look forward to the day we are all together again."
The Canadian federal government denied a request by Major League Baseball's Blue Jays to play in Toronto this year because health officials didn't think it was safe for players to travel back and forth from the United States.
The Blue Jays instead played their home games in Buffalo, New York, this season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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