The city of Toronto has never been more alive than when the Toronto Raptors, Canada’s only basketball team, made it to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. The Raptors are going against defending champs, the Golden State Warriors, in order to claim the crown.
The highly anticipated finals opened up with home court advantage for the Canadian city. Game 2 which took place on Sunday, June 2, 2019 saw the Raptors trying to take a 2-0 lead against the Warriors. Unfortunately, the team didn’t win. In Game 3, the Raptors took a win that has now placed them at a 2-1 lead against the Warriors! Leads aside, the Scotiabank Arena and Oracle Arena did roll out the red carpets as the venues were crawling with celebs and prominent figures.
A few celebrities in attendance at the NBA Finals (so far) are:
Drake
It wouldn’t be a Raptors game if Drake wasn’t there. Catching him on the sidelines, Drake’s courtside antics have given us a good laugh. As the global ambassador for his hometown team, Drake never fails to show his support for the city and the Raptors.
Shawn Mendes
Sitting courtside as well was none other than Shawn Mendes! The ‘If I Can’t Have You‘ singer attended Game 2 of the finals during his time back home.
Alessia Cara
Alessia Cara had the opportunity to not only attend the game but sing the Canadian national anthem! She sang ‘O Canada’ beautifully, even encouraging everyone to sing along with her.
JAY-Z & Beyoncé
Game 3 of the NBA finals was hosted in Oakland, California in the Oracle Arena – also known as the home of the Golden State Warriors. The couple were sat courtside with the Warriors’ majority owner Joe Lacob and his wife, Nicole Lacob.
While the Carters may have been there to support the Warriors, the Raptors took the win. At least Beyoncé was able to heal (some) hearts with a beautiful set of Instagram photos that showcased her Game 3 outfit:
Arkells
The Arkells’ Max and Mike were spotted at Game 2. The two headed to IG and Twitter to post about the great time they had despite the loss. They even got to take photos with the Eastern Conference Trophy.
Kardinal Offishall
The Canadian rapper and longtime Raptors fan was spotted hyping up crowds in the fan arena famously known as Jurassic Park. He even told Sportsnet, “If the Raptors win we need to have a free concert with Me, Drake, Tory Lanez, Weeknd, Nav, Bieber, Daniel Caeser…everyone needs to come and do a free concert in Toronto if we win the ‘ship”
The Toronto Maple Leafs
Although the Toronto Maple Leafs were eliminated from their playoff series, team members Mitch Marner, Travis Dermott, Nazem Kadri, John Tavares, and Zach Hyman showed up to support the Raptors.
Chris Bosh
The former Raptors player headed back to the city for the team’s Finals games. Bosh was working with TSN to sportscast the game. He also posted a series of throwback photos on his IG, reminiscing on his time with the team.
Obama
The 44th President of the United States was in the building the night of Game 2. He sat besides NBA commissioner Adam Silver, and received a very warm welcome from the city.
Other celebrities that were said to be attendance were the Weeknd, J. Cole, Dallas Green, and Steve Aoki.
BONUS: The Beaches
Members of The Beaches were also spotted during the Eastern Conference Final where the Raptors received their well deserved trophy.
Game 4 takes place on Friday, June 7, 2019 in Oakland, California and Game 5 will be on Monday, June 10, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario!
LET’S GO RAPTORS!
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