色狐入口

A Canadian team made up mainly of foreign players and cheered on by thousands of immigrants is now the best in professional basketball.聽

Last night saw the Toronto Raptors take their first National Basketball Association (NBA) title by defeating the six-time champion Golden State Warriors in six games.

The Raptors鈥� championship run garnered almost as much coverage for the diversity of its fans as the team鈥檚 prowess on the court. In recent weeks, Raptor superfan Nav Bhatia, who immigrated from India in the 1980s, has been almost as much as star players Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry.

Bhatia, a Sikh who owns a number of used car dealerships in Toronto, has held season tickets since the Raptors first year in Toronto in 1995. Since then, he has given countless, mainly immigrant kids a chance to see their heroes play.

鈥淚 use the game of basketball to bring the world together,鈥� he said in .

鈥淎n immigrant has risen to be an ambassador of the Raptors,鈥� said a fellow Sikh of Bhatia.聽 鈥淚t shows that Toronto is all about diversity, a city where it doesn鈥檛 matter where you come from.鈥�

Toronto is a major draw for newcomers to Canada, largely because of its long-established ethnic communities and its reputation as Canada鈥檚 most multicultural city.

Immigrants now make up 46 per cent of Toronto鈥檚 population and 51.5 per cent of the city鈥檚 residents identify themselves as 鈥渧isible minority.鈥�

Many see that diversity reflected in the Raptors.

Raptors President Masai Ujiri is from Nigeria and players Pascal Siakam and Serge Ibaka are from Cameroon and the Republic of Congo, respectively. Most of the team is African-American and the only white player, Marc Gasol, is from Spain. Jeremy Lin, whose roots are Taiwanese, is now to win an NBA Championship ring.

鈥淏asketball is more like what the nation is like,鈥� a Toronto resident whose parents moved to the city from Vietnam told the recently.

David Cohen, senior partner with the Campbell, Cohn Canadian immigration law firm in Montreal, called the celebration of immigration that has taken place alongside the Raptors championship run a proud moment for the country.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been great to see so much attention on Toronto鈥檚 immigrant population and its love of basketball,鈥� he said. 鈥淗ockey may still be Canada鈥檚 game, but it鈥檚 got some serious competition now!鈥�

漏 2019 CICNews All Rights Reserved