Raptors' legend Serge Ibaka is still in love with Toronto and calls it "home"

The Toronto Raptors’ 2018-19 championship-winning roster will forever be remembered as a collection of players who quickly endeared themselves to the city of Toronto — and vice versa.

And with the exception of Kyle Lowry, perhaps none were a bigger fan of the city than Serge Ibaka, who spent four seasons in Toronto before departing in 2020.

“If I come back here, people still make me feel like it was yesterday. Every time when I come back here I feel like, like you say, home,” Ibaka said in a video on his YouTube channel this past week. “I think that, to me, is the most important thing. Sometimes life is more than just basketball. Of course, we have great memories [on the court], yeah, we won the championship. But at the end of the day, waking up every day to do the things I love to do is a blessing.”

"After four years, every time I come back here people still make me feel like it was yesterday" – @sergeibaka speaks on coming back to Toronto ❤️

Watch #ChangeTheGame with @bmwcanada now: https://t.co/OJkLZaSU9v pic.twitter.com/uv7Ayd01gE

— UNINTERRUPTED Canada 🇨🇦 (@UNCanada) July 18, 2023

It’s not clear what the future holds for the 33-year-old 14-year NBA veteran, who remains a free agent for next season, with the possibility of retirement always on the horizon for a league that’s always getting younger and younger.

Ibaka last played an NBA game on January 1, 2023, with the Milwaukee Bucks, before being dealt to the Indiana Pacers in February after sitting out for a month. The Pacers subsequently bought out Ibaka, and he’s yet to stick elsewhere in basketball since.

During his four seasons in Toronto from 2016-17 to 2019-20, Ibaka averaged 14.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 228 games for the Raptors. His most memorable moments came in the 2019 NBA playoffs, where Ibaka averaged 9.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in 24 games, all of which he came off the bench for.

The full video is available below:

You might also like:
• Raptors cut ties with Joe Wieskamp just days after Summer League