Raptors Parade 2019: Start Time, Live-Stream Schedule for Victory Celebration
This is a day Toronto Raptors fans have waited 24 years for.
On Monday morning, the Raptors, along with their newly acquired Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy, will ride through the streets of Toronto in celebration of their NBA Finals victory over the Golden State Warriors. It was the first championship win in the team's history, as well as its first Finals appearance.
The parade will culminate with a one-hour rally at Nathan Phillips Square, which is expected to begin at 12:30 p.m. ET.
Here's everything else you need to know about Monday's celebration.
Raptors Parade Information
Date: Monday, June 17
Time: 10 a.m. ET
Weather: High of 65 degrees Fahrenheit, 0 percent chance of precipitation (per Weather.com)
TV: Sportsnet
For a map of the parade route, visit NBA.com
While the Raptors have had plenty of success the past few seasons, culminating with this year's championship, their fans endured many struggles early in the franchise's history.
From its inaugural 1995-96 season to 2014-15, Toronto won only one playoff series—a first-round matchup against the New York Knicks in 2001. But the Raptors have won a postseason series in each of the past four years, including this season when they defeated the Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks before toppling the two-time defending champion Warriors.
"I thought they really fought hard, they were tough-minded. They didn't seem like this was wearing on them at all," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said of his team, according to the Toronto Star's Dave Feschuk. "Two months of playoff basketball, they never seemed tired to me. Mentally they kept wanting film sessions, they kept wanting to walk through things, they kept wanting to keep learning and improving."
The NBA Finals, which went to six games, ended on the Warriors' court at Oracle Arena, so Raptors fans have not yet had a chance to celebrate alongside their team. But there will be many people with the opportunity to do just that in the streets of Toronto on Monday.
On Sunday, Toronto mayor John Tory announced via Twitter that Monday will be known as "We The North Day" in honor of the Raptors bringing the championship trophy to Canada for the first time in NBA history.
Just how many people will be at the parade and rally? Well, according to an official with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (h/t CP24.com), the crowd could be as large as two million people.
And they didn't even wait until Monday to start arriving. Per the Toronto Star's Sherina Harris and Kate Allen, some Raptors fans began camping out Sunday night to get the best spots for the parade.
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