If you grew up in a town with a major sports team, or even if you grew up as a fan of a major team (major in this instance doesn’t just mean professional, but also big-time college programs), you more than likely at one point dreamed of playing for said team. Children in Kansas dream of hooping in Phog Allen Fieldhouse and young ballers in Chicago imagine themselves playing next to Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler (or, if they were of an older age, Michael Jordan). According to Tristan Thompson, it’s no different for Canadians when it comes to playing for the Toronto Raptors.
Tristan was "super pumped" for long-time friend/National Team running mate Cory Joseph, said it's every Canadian's dream to be a Raptor
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) July 13, 2015
Cory Joseph is the most recent Candian to realize this dream after signing a four-year deal with the Raptors. Canadian basketball on the whole has in fact been on a meteoric rise of late, producing top prospects like Joseph, Anthony Bennett, Thompson and Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins, not to mention a slew of top-tier college players. Will that dream be enough to lure the likes of, say, Wiggins to Canada once he hits free agency? On its own, probably not. But if the Raptors have a compelling team in place, it would certainly be a terrific benefit in their pitch. Home is where the heart is, after all.
