It's been a wild, exhausting ride for Toronto sports fans this NBA post-season — one that culminated in an all-day victory party on Monday where millions came together in celebration of the Raptors winning their first ever championship.
A lot happened over the course of what Mayor John Tory had proclaimed as "We The North Day" in Toronto, much of it quite exciting.
Some bad things — chiefly a shooting and two stabbings — did take place in tandem with the festivities, but for an event that drew an estimated two million people into the downtown core at the same time, it was an overwhelmingly positive one.
Here are just a few of the happy highlights from the Toronto Raptors Championship Parade and subsequent rally at Nathan Phillips Square on June 17.
Plant guy finally gives a plant to Kawhi
The fan who famously carried around a "kawh-actus" for Raptors star Kawhi Leonard after Toronto won its first ever NBA title on Thursday night finally got to give his idol a housewarming gift.
Plant Guy finally gave Kawhi Leonard a plant #PlantGuy #Toronto #Raptors #WeTheNorthDay #RaptorsParade 📹 Lexi_Kniz pic.twitter.com/MeSf1H552H
— blogTO (@blogTO) June 17, 2019
Serge Ibaka showers paradegoers with champagne
As did Jeremy Lin, Fred Van Vleet, Norman Powell, Pascal Siakam, Drake, Marc Gasol and others. It was a boozy day, all around.
#SergeIbaka is popping bottles at the #RaptorsParade 🏆 #Toronto #Raptors #WeTheNorth #WeTheNorthDay pic.twitter.com/ztZKlzzyuw
— blogTO (@blogTO) June 17, 2019
Kawhi Leonard hints at re-signing with the Raps
Fans along the parade route broke out into chants of "one more year" at one point as the bus carrying Leonard drove by. Kyle Lowry urged them to start chanting "five more years" instead, and Kawhi's reaction suggests that he might not peace out to California any time soon.
#KyleLowry wants five more years from #KawhiLeonard - 📹 @daveb2030 #Toronto #Raptors #WeTheNorth #WeTheNorthDay #RaptorsParade pic.twitter.com/XDj3rCGd6L
— blogTO (@blogTO) June 17, 2019
Two million people took to the streets
Like... enough said. Nobody who was anywhere in the downtown core yesterday will ever forget how jam-packed the streets of Toronto were for the Raptors Championship Parade.
This is what University Avenue looked like as crowds swelled for the #RaptorsParade in #Toronto - 📹 capkiano https://t.co/d7VSizqHgg #WeTheNorth #WeTheNorthDay pic.twitter.com/zMg6Psn2Cd
— blogTO (@blogTO) June 18, 2019
Fan throws beer for Drake to chug
He may not be an NBA player, but Drake has got some serious hand-eye coordination skills — as evidenced by the flying beer he caught and chugged (as well as a perfect mic drop later on in the day.)
Someone tossed #Drake a beer during the #RaptorsParade 🍺 #Toronto #WeTheNorth #WeTheNorthDay - 📹 Frazer Berndt pic.twitter.com/on0y0qffT0
— blogTO (@blogTO) June 17, 2019
Fake Kawhi Leonard signs autographs along the parade route
People on Twitter couldn't get enough of slamming the people clamouring for photos with a guy who didn't really even look that much like Kawhi Leonard, aside from his hair.
A fake #KawhiLeonard is taking selfies and signing autographs for #Raptors fans before the parade in #Toronto today #WeTheNorth #WeTheNorthDay pic.twitter.com/rJndwhAsPN
— blogTO (@blogTO) June 17, 2019
Raptors fans burst into O Canada
Patriotic Torontonians paid homage to the first Canadian NBA team ever to win a championship with a rousing rendition of O Canada along the parade route.
#Raptors fans are singing O Canada at Queen and University 🎶 #Toronto #WeTheNorth #WeTheNorthDay pic.twitter.com/ieXbCjFrNV
— blogTO (@blogTO) June 17, 2019
Marc Gasol gets lit
The people of Toronto really enjoyed seeing their fierce champions off the clock and letting loose. The Raptors themselves seemed to enjoy it quite a bit, too.
#MarcGasol is having a blast at the #RaptorsParade in #Toronto today - 📹 @cam_gordon #WeTheNorth #WeTheNorthDay pic.twitter.com/RFcBdDT1ce
— blogTO (@blogTO) June 17, 2019
Kawhi Leonard busts out his famous "fun guy" laugh
Leonard's victory speech at Nathan Phillips Square both choked up and tickled hundreds of thousands of fans on Monday afternoon. His teammates straight up lost it at the end of the speech when Leonard imitated his own strange "fun guy" laugh as heard at a pre-season press conference in September.
#KawhiLeonard is a fun a guy - 📹 @NBATV #WeTheNorth #WeTheNorthDay #Toronto #Raptors pic.twitter.com/RODHdRfPqn
— blogTO (@blogTO) June 17, 2019
Air Drake does flyovers
Along with the snowbirds, Drake's personal jumbo jet took to the skies in celebration of the Raptors and their first ever NBA Finals win.
#Drake's plane is doing flyovers of the #Raptors championship parade https://t.co/nAUyEWa3Lx #Toronto #WeTheNorth #WeTheNorthDay #RaptorsParade pic.twitter.com/j0YvLohKr0
— blogTO (@blogTO) June 17, 2019
The Raptor went HAM on some cars
The NBA's best mascot did what he did best during the parade with hours upon hours of straight stunting on vehicles along the route.
The #Raptors mascot was doing handstands on cars during the parade #Toronto #WeTheNorth #WeTheNorthDay #RaptorsParade pic.twitter.com/w2qriMG7iU
— blogTO (@blogTO) June 17, 2019
All in all, it was a very special day — one that every Raptors fan will surely cherish for a lifetime.
by Lauren O'Neil via blogTO
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