This is why beloved former Toronto Raptor Serge Ibaka is back in the city
Former Toronto Raptor Serge Ibaka was back in the city this past weekend and basketball fans couldn't help but ask: 'Could this be the return of a veteran?'
In a post to his Instagram Stories, the 35-year-old centre, who was part of Toronto's first-ever championship in 2019, was seen working out at the Raptors gym.
'Maybe he'll be in the coaching staff or very likely one last season?' one person asked on a Reddit board, after the photo was posted there. 'We need Serge back working for the team for the culture,' wrote another.
However, it turns out the Congolese/Spanish hooper wasn't in town for basketball business but instead focused on his other passion – food.
In partnership with the Madri Excepcional, Ibaka has launched the 'Serge Stamp List,' which saw him travel around town on Sunday to hand pick his top Spanish spots.
This is where he stopped:
The Spanish Pig – A Canadian retailer that sells authentic Spanish food on Roncesvalles Avenue La Paella – Once a catering company, this restaurant serves authentic Spanish dishes in Toronto's Leslieville nieghbourhood Tapas at Embrujo – Described as a 'hot bed' for Flamenco, Spanish arts and cuisine in Riverdale Campo Restaurant - Located on Jane Street, north of Bloor, Campo's fare is inspired by rustic Spanish cuisine, according to chef and owner Carlos Ventura Casa Barcelona – Opened 12 years ago, Casa Barcelona bills itself as an authentic Spanish tapas bar near Bloor and Royal York Boulevard Café de Madrid – Located outside the city in Oakville, this establishment is bringing the heart of Spanish cooking and tradition to Canada, 'one paella at a time.'
Ibaka last played for Real Madrid Baloncesto after he left the NBA in 2023, following stints with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers.
He played for Toronto from 2017 to 2020 and helped the team win its first Larry O'Brien trophy in 2019. Ibaka became a fan favourite during his short time with the team, known for his defensive prowess on the court, and interesting culinary choices off of it.
His cooking show, 'How Hungry Are You?,' where celebrities from in and outside of the basketball world would be treated to dishes of animal brains or worms all while conducting an interview, became a viral hit.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Montreal Gazette
27 minutes ago
- Montreal Gazette
NBA champion Luguentz Dort to bring Larry O'Brien Trophy to Montreal for homecoming parade
Basketball NBA champion and Montreal native Luguentz Dort will have his moment with the Larry O'Brien Trophy in his hometown later this month with four days of events, including a homecoming parade in Montreal North. The Oklahoma City Thunder small forward will start the festivities on Aug. 20 with an invitation to City Hall to meet with mayor Valérie Plante, where Dort will sign the golden book. The following day, a homecoming parade will be held in Montreal North with the trophy. The route has yet to be announced. 'This summer has been a dream come true — winning the championship and having the opportunity to come back home, with the trophy, to celebrate here in Montréal,' Dort said in a press release. 'I'm just grateful to share this with the people who have supported me from day one.' On Aug. 22-23, Dort's foundation will host the fifth edition of Camp Élite, which will bring together 50 of the province's top young male basketball players for two days of training. Dort won his first NBA championship this June when the Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers in in seven games. The 26-year-old finished fourth for the
National Post
27 minutes ago
- National Post
Former Leafs GM Kyle Dubas shares biggest regret, comments on Mitch Marner and Mike Babcock
Article content 'I don't think it's because of the pressure of the marketplace or the fans. That was my impression. Maybe the players would disagree, but I don't think it was ever a factor to the group not reaching its potential.' Article content On the difficulty of building a team when the Matthews, Marner, Tavares and Nylander contracts were a significant portion of the Leafs' finances: Article content 'I think the thing that handcuffed it was the salary cap was flat. That's life. No one could have predicted (the COVID impact) and we just had to adapt. After 2021, I thought we started to become much better at identifying what we needed to support the group and give the team a better chance. Article content 'We took a lot of shots in 2020 and 2021 and weren't as successful. It was on us to make the right decisions around that group of players and I think everyone wishes the team would have performed better as a group and individually and in the playoffs. I don't point to any one situation or one thing, but we didn't get it done and that's as simple as I can put it.' Article content Article content On the tenure of Mike Babcock, who was hired as coach in 2015 and fired in 2019, 4 1/2 years into his eight-year contract: Article content 'The reason why the team was able to get into the playoffs in 2017 and stay there, and maybe people don't want to give the credit to (Babcock) in retrospect, but he brought in a tremendous amount of accountability, a tremendous amount of detail, and his work ethic and what he was willing to put in to be prepared, was … I still haven't seen anything quite like it. Article content 'At the end, it just became clear that the group wasn't going to take the next steps with him … it was clear we were going to have to try to find another voice to push us ahead both in the regular season and the playoffs. Article content On the work-ethic list incident involving Babcock and Marner, initially revealed by us in the Toronto Sun: Article content 'Lou (Lamoriello) was the GM. Nobody else with the team really knew that. Lou handled it with Mike. The fact it was never a topic again until I think the few days after Mike was fired, I think speaks to Lou's ability to handle everything. Article content Article content 'It never came up again in my time there and when I read the story, it was the Toronto Sun, I remember (assistant GM) Brandon Pridham and I saying we didn't know that it had happened.' Article content 'You've seen the evolution as a leader and the evolution on the defensive side as well. Everyone knows about the goal scoring. To see him named captain there, captain of Team USA, he puts a lot into his craft. His (biggest) pressure is probably internal in trying to be the absolute best.' Article content 'We could talk forever about Lou and how great a mentor he was for me and how great our relationship still is and how close he is with my family. He's the best. That was a great experience. I leaned on him a lot. (In his first meeting with Lamoriello), I was 29 years old. I was scared s***less.' Article content
National Post
27 minutes ago
- National Post
Wattpad Author Ariana Godoy Named to Variety's 2025 Storytellers to Watch List
Article content Article content The Netflix and WEBTOON Productions adaptation of Godoy's A Traves de mi Ventana is one of the all-time most-watched non-English films on Netflix Article content TORONTO — Wattpad, a leading webnovel platform and storytelling community, is thrilled to announce that author Ariana Godoy has been named to Variety's 2025 Storytellers to Watch list. Variety's prestigious list spotlights ten rising entertainment industry stars who are captivating audiences in fresh, new ways. Article content Ariana Godoy is one of Wattpad's most renowned writers and a leading voice in romance fiction. Her stories have accumulated more than 850 million reads on Wattpad, sold over one million copies in print, and been adapted as streaming and theatrical hits. Article content The Venezuelan-American author began writing on Wattpad in 2014 and has since written 20 webnovels in English and Spanish, publishing nine bestselling print editions with the Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group and Penguin Random House. Her Wattpad webnovel, A través de mi ventana (Through My Window) became a global phenomenon with 386 million reads, and has been adapted into a trilogy of films from Netflix and WEBTOON Productions. Each film in the trilogy debuted at #1 on the Netflix charts for Non-English films, and the first film in the series remains one of Netflix's most-watched non-English films of all time, with 116 million hours viewed. Article content In upcoming projects, Godoy's Wattpad webnovel Sigue Mi Vo z has been adapted as a feature film from WEBTOON Productions, Zeta Studios and Beta Fiction Spain. The film will premiere September 12 in theaters in Spain and on Prime Video Spain at a later date. Article content 'Ariana's success on Wattpad is truly inspiring,' said Aron Levitz, President of Wattpad. 'Her ability to connect with fans around the world and create stories that speak to people across languages and formats is what makes her so remarkable. Ariana is a storytelling powerhouse and this honor is well deserved.' Article content 'Working with a creator like Ariana, whose talent, drive and passion are unparalleled, is part of what makes my job so fulfilling,' said David Madden, President of WEBTOON Productions. 'All of us at WEBTOON Productions are thrilled to see her recognized for this list as her storytelling has touched all of us deeply.' Article content 'Writing has always been how I express myself, and I'm overjoyed that stories that come from my heart have connected with readers all over the world on Wattpad, in print, and on Netflix!' said Wattpad author Ariana Godoy. 'I'm beyond honored to be a part of Variety's list of 10 Storytellers to Watch, and I'm excited to continue to share my stories with the world.' Article content Past honorees of Variety's Storytellers to Watch include New York Times bestselling author Brit Bennett (The Vanishing Half), composers Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss (Six), and Horton Foote Prize-winning playwright Lauren Yee, among others. Article content Wattpad's vision is to entertain and connect the world through stories. A leading global webnovel platform, Wattpad has democratized storytelling for a new generation of diverse Gen Z writers and their fans. Wattpad is part of WEBTOON Entertainment's IP & Creator Ecosystem, where approximately 155 million monthly active users discover incredible stories in multiple formats. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content
