The Toronto Raptors are the only NBA franchise based outside the United States to have ever won a championship, but at least one notorious league official has said the league has no plans for them to win a championship again. This suggests that he is not in favor of doing so.
Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy, who served 18 months in U.S. federal prison for his role in a gambling scandal in the 2000s, has suggested that the league is not the biggest fan of the Raptors themselves.
in an episode of tableware and dimes In an article published Monday, Donaghy was asked about the general perception of Toronto among referees across the league, and he gave an interesting answer.
Here’s what he had to say https://t.co/dVZltlc50X pic.twitter.com/w6Cxu3Ie7x
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“It’s funny, when I was there, when I saw Toronto was included in the schedule, I cringed a little bit because there wasn’t much to do there. You have to go through customs. I didn’t really know anyone there,” Donaghy said. “When my schedule included Vancouver and Toronto, it was a little difficult. But as time went on, I started meeting people there, and it’s a fun and exciting city, but once you get worldwide attention, I don’t think the league wants them to win more championships.”
Donaghy has been outspoken in the past about relationships and how outside interests like ratings and money influence NBA games, but he didn’t elaborate on why the league won’t back Toronto to win again. There wasn’t. But it’s easy to draw the conclusion why a league with 29 American teams would favor one of the more successful teams ahead of the Raptors.
Donaghy has admitted to providing gambling organizations with information about the likely outcomes of NBA games in exchange for money, but he denies that he actually influenced his games in favor of one team. ing.
However, many people, including Author Sean Patrick Griffin book of play the game, Records show that the betting lines for the games Donaghy worked on fluctuated at a frequency that strongly suggests that he had a direct influence on the outcome.
For the foreseeable future, the NBA probably won’t have to worry too much about Donaghy’s latest proposal regarding incentives. Toronto is coming off a year in which they won just 41 games and is not expected to make much noise in the league, especially after the loss of former All-Star guard Fred VanVleet.
Either way, the Raptors’ season begins this Wednesday, when they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves at Scotiabank Arena.
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