
Raptors to hold training camp in Calgary, play Jokic and Nuggets in Vancouver
The Toronto Raptors are Canada's NBA team, so it's only fitting they'll visit Alberta and British Columbia this Fall.
Article content
The team announced Tuesday that training camp will be held at the University of Calgary, starting September 30, marking the first time Toronto's held its camp in Alberta.
Article content
Additionally, NBA Canada announced Tuesday Toronto would host the Denver Nuggets in Vancouver on October 6. It's a nice gift from the league, considering it let former owner Michael Heisley screw over Grizzlies fans with the move to Memphis. Now fans there will get to see three-time NBA MVP and all-time great Nikola Jokic, two of the league's best Canadians in Jamal Murray and RJ Barrett, plus long-time Raptors favourite Jonas Valanciunas, new Denver addition Cam Johnson and rookie Raptors Collin Murray-Boyles. As well, they should see the Raptors debut of former all-star forward Brandon Ingram.
Article content
Article content
'It's always an honour and a pleasure to get to return home to play basketball in Canada,' Murray said in a release. 'I'm excited for the opportunity for myself and my team to face off against the Raptors in front of the basketball-hungry fans of Vancouver, it's going to be a lot of fun.'
Article content
Article content
The NBA Canada Series has featured 16 teams playing 19 preseason games in six Canadian cities, with 14 of the games including the Raptors. This will be the seventh Canada Series game in Vancouver.
Article content
Toronto last played a pre-season game in Calgary in 2016 after previously doing so in 2016.
Article content
'It's been nearly a decade since we were last in Calgary – so we're excited to be spending the better part of a week in Stampede City,' Raptors general manager Bobby Webster said in a release.
Article content
'Training camp is really important for our team. It's where we come together to focus on the year ahead, so making sure the city and the venue works is key. We think Calgary will be great – the facilities at UCalgary are top-class and we're looking forward to exploring all the city has to offer.'
Article content
Article content
Raptors media day will be held on September 29 in Toronto before the team heads to Calgary for practices September 30-October 2 at Jack Simpson Gym. While these sessions are closed to the public, the Raptors will host their annual Open Practice on October 3 at Jack Simpson Gym.
Article content
'It's shaping up to be a big year for basketball at the University of Calgary, and we are thrilled to welcome the Toronto Raptors to campus and the Jack Simpson Gym for training camp this fall,' said University of Calgary director of athletics Ben Matchett in the release. 'This event will bookend our hosting of the U SPORTS Men's Basketball Final 8 in March 2026. We look forward to welcoming the Raptors to the Home of the Dinos and creating an outstanding opportunity for the vibrant Calgary basketball community to witness the highest level of the sport in-person at the Open Practice on Oct. 3.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Summer McIntosh advances to world championship 200m butterfly final with 2nd fastest semifinal time
Toronto's Summer McIntosh will compete for her third gold medal of the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on Thursday, after advancing to the women's 200-metre butterfly final with the second fastest time in the semifinals.


Globe and Mail
an hour ago
- Globe and Mail
McIntosh wins second gold at world swimming championships in Singapore
Canada's Summer McIntosh has won her second gold medal at the world swimming championships, taking the women's 200-metre individual medley on Monday. The 18-year-old Toronto native touched the wall in two minutes 6.69 seconds – nearly two seconds ahead of American Alex Walsh, who claimed silver in 2:08.58. Fellow Canadian Mary-Sophie Harvey, of Laval, Que., won bronze in 2:09.15. The winning time trailed McIntosh's world record of 2:05.70. And she was not content. 'Going in tonight, my goal was to get my hand on the wall first,' McIntosh said. 'So to get that done is good. I'm not super happy with my time. But honestly, at a world championships, my goal is just to go as fast as I can against my competitors. Still happy with the gold and hoping to keep up my streak next time.' Cathal Kelly: Summer McIntosh's star set to soar with Olympics still three years away For Harvey, it was her first-ever individual long-course worlds medal. The 25-year-old finished fourth in three events at the Paris Olympics, but finally broke through at her fourth long-course worlds. 'It's my first individual [medal] so I'm pretty happy about it and I think it set the tone nicely for the rest of the week,' Harvey said. 'It was pretty special to share the podium with one of my teammates,' Harvey said of McIntosh. 'She's pushing the boundaries for swimming in general, and to stand alongside her is just something I will cherish for a long time.' McIntosh said Harvey's breakthrough bronze was the highlight of her night. 'That was so incredible,' she said. 'She's worked so hard for this and to see her get the result I think she's over the moon about it. She deserves it, and to share that moment for Team Canada was amazing.' Yu Zidi, a Chinese 12-year-old phenom, finished fourth in 2:09.21, just missing a medal as she astounded the swim world with her times. She is also due to compete in the 400 IM and 200 butterfly, probably her strongest events. McIntosh is targeting five individual golds over the eight-day meet. Monday's win adds to the 400 freestyle gold she earned on the opening day of competition. She is also chasing individual titles in the 400 individual medley, 800 freestyle and the 200 butterfly over the next six days in Singapore. Famed Olympian Michael Phelps is the only swimmer to have won five individual gold medals at a world championships. Canada now has four medals at the world aquatics championships, including a silver in the women's 20-metre high diving by Montreal's Simone Leathead, which was the country's first medal of the competition. Also Monday, Kylie Masse of LaSalle, Ont., advanced to Tuesday's 100 backstroke final with a semi-final time of 58.66 seconds, the third-fastest of the round. Taylor Ruck of Kelowna, B.C., also moved on with a time of 59.18. Gretchen Walsh broke through on Monday with the first gold in Singapore for the United States, taking the 100 butterfly in 54.73. The silver medalist a year ago in Paris, Walsh was just off her world-record time of 54.60 set earlier this year. Roos Vanotterdijk of Belgium took silver in 55.84 and Alexandria Perkins of Australia claimed bronze in 56.33. Walsh acknowledged in a post-race interview at poolside that the American team had been hit with a bout of what team officials called 'acute gastroenteritis.' It was picked up at a training camp in Thailand before arrival in Singapore. U.S. officials have confirmed the outbreak but have given few details and did not name the swimmer nor say how many were affected. 'With the illness that's been going on – I faced it back the last couple days – my body has just been fragile, and I think that I've needed to give myself grace,' Walsh said. 'Luckily, I had the morning to recover and rest, and I used that, and that helped me enormously going into tonight, so I tried to make the most of it. 'It was not easy, and I'm just really proud of myself,' Walsh added, thrilled to be under 55 seconds. 'It took a lot of guts. I just wanted to go out there and do it for my team, just represent the flag well. It came out of somewhere, but I'm really, really happy.' Canada's backstroke big-gamer Kylie Masse focused on worlds, not 2028 L.A. Olympics Walsh's older sister Alex was almost even with McIntosh after 150 metres, swimming a strong breaststroke leg to make it a race. 'I was really excited on the breaststroke leg,' she said. 'I could see her and I knew I was kind of gaining on her because breaststroke is my best stroke. I was really excited and, obviously coming home on the freestyle, that's definitely where my biggest weakness (is).' Two other finals wrapped up Monday's schedule. Qin Haiyang, the world champion in 2023, defeated Paris Olympic winner Nicolo Martinenghi of Italy in the 100 breaststroke. Qin clocked 58.23 to give China its first gold in Singapore with the Italian swimmer finishing in 58.58. Denis Petrashov of Kyrgyzstan took bronze in 58.88. 'I've been injured and it's not been easy to get back to my best,' Haiyang said. 'I'm at best at 70 per cent. I'm probably lucky. This definitely helps with my confidence.' In the men's 50 butterfly, Maxime Grousset of France edged Noe Ponti of Switzerland. Grousset clocked 22.48 with Ponti finishing in 22.51. Thomas Ceccon of Italy took bronze in 22.67. In the four semi-finals, Paris Olympics bronze medalist Luke Hobson of the United States led 200 free qualifying (1:44.80), with Paris champion David Popovici of Romania in fourth (1:45.02). Hubert Kos of Hungary headed a very fast men's 100 backstroke in 52.21. American Regan Smith led the women's 100 backstroke (58.21) ahead of two-time Australian Olympic champion Kaylee McKeown (58.44). Kate Douglass of the United States swam a personal best in the 100 breaststroke (1:05.49) and will be the top seed in Tuesday's final. With files from The Associated Press


Edmonton Journal
2 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
Banned Canada coach explains move to New Zealand: 'I didn't feel safe'
Article content WELLINGTPN — Former Canada women's football coach Bev Priestman said Wednesday she 'didn't feel safe' living in North America following her one-year ban for spying at the Paris Olympics. Article content Wellington Phoenix announced Wednesday that Priestman would take over as head coach of its women's team, returning to football in the country she was banned for spying on with a drone, New Zealand. She has signed a two-year contract. Article content Article content The 39-year-old was visibly emotional as she discussed her suspension, and how nervous she is to be returning to the sport. Article content Article content 'Obviously it was an absolute media frenzy. You've got people knocking at your door and everything, and I've got a little boy. Article content 'Without going into too much detail, it was very difficult. We knew we had to get out of that country.' Article content Governing body FIFA banned Priestman for one year after her coaching team used a drone to snoop on New Zealand before they played at the Paris games. Article content New Zealand had spotted drones flying over their training sessions before their opening match and reported it to officials. Article content An investigation found the Canadian team had been spying on rival training sessions for some time. Article content Article content Priestman said she is prevented from speaking about the situation in detail, due to ongoing legal discussions. Article content But on her return to New Zealand she said she had talked to players and officials. Article content She said the move to Wellington was an opportunity to 'reset' her career, and rebuild. Article content On Tuesday night, hours after her ban was lifted, she ran her first coaching session in more than a year. Article content 'I celebrated last night coaching the under-7s, my son's team, in the pouring Wellington rain,' Priestman said. Article content 'That was a nice, humbling experience. They got all the energy from me in that moment because I've just been itching to do that.' Article content Priestman won the Olympic gold with Canada at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and is the best credentialed coach to come to the women's A League. Article content She said she had learned from her ban, and her experience with Canada, and would be a better coach for it.