Vancouver and Montreal will be hosting NBA pre-season games come October in the ninth NBA Canada Series.
The Toronto Raptors will be taking on the Sacramento Kings at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena on Oct. 8.
Toronto played in both NBA Canada Series games last year, facing the Utah Jazz in Edmonton and playing the Boston Celtics in Montreal.
The Kings will have Canadian representation in forward Trey Lyles of Saskatoon and assistant coach Jordi Fernandez — the head coach of the Canadian senior men’s basketball team on their side.
Meanwhile, all-star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Hamilton and Montreal native Lu Dort lead the Oklahoma City Thunder against the Detroit Pistons at Bell Centre in Montreal on Oct. 12.
“After growing up and learning to play the game of basketball in Montreal, it will be a special experience to play a pre-season game in my hometown,” Dort said in a statement.
According to the NBA, 15 teams have participated in 16 pre-season games across six Canadian cities as part of the pre-season series that began in 2012. The games have drawn more than 250,000 fans.
The Raptors will also host the Cairns Taipans of Australia’s National Basketball League on Oct. 15 before travelling to Chicago to face the Bulls on Oct. 17. Toronto wrap up pre-season play on Oct. 20 with a home game against the Washington Wizards.
The Canadian Press