Toronto Raptors: Tampa Bay Buccaneers players show off Raptors fandom

The Toronto Raptors are still in the middle of their sabbatical in Tampa thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning that they’ve had to convince a bunch of Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tampa Bay Rays fans to put their Orlando Magic fandom aside and come on out to Amalie Arena. At the very least, they’ve won over the likes of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

Evans and Godwin, the latter of whom was just retained after proving himself as the perfect complimentary speed receiver to the physical Texas A&M product, have committed to Tampa long-term, and they’re still doing everything that they can to ingratiate themselves to the local community.

Rather than dismiss the Raptors and count down the days until their temporary houseguests can return to their country, the Bucs are attending games and showing the love that this city has for basketball.

Evans, Godwin, and Justin Watson were in the building for Toronto’s victory against the Brooklyn Nets. All three of them were wearing Pascal Siakam’s jersey, with Godwin even managing to get his hands on one of the 90s throwbacks.

The defending champs took the opportunity to flex their Super Bowl victory in frnt of the adoring crowd, as Evans brought the Lombardi Trophy into the building.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers showed the Toronto Raptors some love.

It looks like some of Tampa Bay’s playoff magic is rubbing off on the Raptors, as a team that was in contention for the No. 1 overall pick is now firmly in the playoff hunt in the Eastern Conference. Some clutch wins coupled with the fact that the squad is finally returning to full health has certainly helped in that pursuit.

Considering all of the troubles with playing basketball over 1,000 miles from their actual home, it’s nice to see the coty of Tampa and some of their more valuable sports personalities treat them as equal partners in the Central Florida sports landscape rather than just a group of nomads looking for s home.

The Raptors reciprocated the love after the game, as Siakam, fresh off dominating an injured Nets squad with limited interior depth, was captured wearing Evans’ No. 13 jersey. OG Anunoby opoted for Godwin’s No. 14.

Central Florida might be a very long way away from Canada, but the city has done everything they can to make the Raptors feel at home given the circumstances. The locals seem to have responded well to Toronto pitching up in Florida for their one-year vacation, as the Buccaneers have fully embraced the “We The North” lifestyle.