Raptors players end Louisville talk because of Breonna Taylor shooting

Louisville is no longer being considered as an option for the Toronto Raptors to hold home games next season, according to a new report out of Kentucky.

The Raptors were considering the KFC Yum! Center, home of the University of Louisville men’s and women’s basketball teams, according to a report yesterday from Yahoo Sports’ Vincent Goodwill. Rick Bozich of WDRB is now reporting that Louisville talks have ended with the Raptors.

They’ve ended because Raptors players didn’t want to play in the same city where Breonna Taylor was shot and killed in her own apartment by police last March, three sources told WDRB.

Raptors players have consistently championed the Black Lives Matter cause, and were among the most active in the Orlando bubble speaking out against racism.

Of course, the Raptors would still prefer to play their home games at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, though that would necessitate approval from the Canadian government. That’s something that the Toronto Blue Jays tried to get but were denied, forcing them to play home games in Buffalo last season. Canada’s three MLS franchises are also finishing the season with new temporary homes in the United States due to Canada’s 14-day quarantine law.

While the NBA hasn’t announced a start date for next season yet, there is talk about starting as soon as Christmas Day, though Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 18 appears to be more realistic time to kick off the season.

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