Though he never has suited up for the Toronto Raptors in his 17-year pro career, Kevin Durant has had quite the connection to Canada’s lone NBA franchise.
In 2014, team ambassador Drake got fined for trying to recruit Durant to Toronto while the NBA star was in attendance at his OVO Fest concert in the city.
In 2019, Durant and his Golden State Warriors side faced off against Toronto in the NBA Finals, where he suffered a season-ending injury during Game 5 that ended up sidelining him for the following season.
Despite the bad memory of the injury — and an often-referenced clip of fans cheering after Durant hit the floor before the severity was recognized — Durant has often referenced the energy he felt in the city during that series.
And in 2022, while he was a member of the Brooklyn Nets, Durant was heavily linked to a possible trade to the Raptors before eventually being shipped to the Phoenix Suns.
But Durant’s connections to Toronto actually run much longer than you might think.
Growing up in Washington, D.C., the current Phoenix Suns star chose Vince Carter as his favourite player, with the Raptors icon being Durant’s first-ever NBA jersey.
On Sunday night at Scotiabank Arena, the pair were able to reconnect, with Carter working on the Sportsnet broadcast for the game.
Kevin Durant has never been shy about his love for Vince Carter.
VC came out to give Kevin Durant a big hug when he walked out onto the court in Toronto tonight.
Game recognize game. Two of the greatest to ever do it. https://t.co/zGTmCBLAIk pic.twitter.com/Tqjy0UMcmy
— Adam Laskaris (@adam_la2karis) February 23, 2025
Following the game, a 127-109 win for the Raptors, Durant spoke to a small collection of reporters in the locker room about his love for Toronto.
“I love Canada. I love Toronto. Has always been nothing but love and respect here. They appreciate the game of basketball to its core,” Durant said following the game, per the Toronto Sun’s Ryan Wolstat.
“They appreciate my journey as a player, so I always have fun coming here. Crowd is always on its feet all game. So they love basketball here, so I enjoy coming up here.”
And it appears the admiration for Durant is mutual from the Raptors players.
“The way he approaches the game, you can kind of just see the detail. You can tell he’s just been [working] on his craft every single day for a while, and something like that inspires me,” Toronto guard Immanuel Quickley said to Offside.
While Durant may never actually call Canada home, it’s clear the future Hall of Famer’s visits to the city have meant a lot during his nearly two decades in the league.
