Vadim ZHakupov/iStockBy ABC News

(NEW YORK) — The Toronto Raptors will continue to play their home games at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida for the rest of the 2020-21 NBA season, accoriding to an ESPN report.

In a statement posted to the team’s website, the team said they would remain in Tampa due to ongoing border restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Florida has been really welcoming to us and we’re so grateful for the hospitality we’ve found in Tampa and at Amalie – we’re living in a city of champions, and we intend to carry on the tradition of winning for our new friends and fans here,” Raptors President Masai Ujiri said in the statement. “But home is where the heart is, and our hearts are in Toronto. We think often of our fans, of our Scotiabank Arena family, and all those we are missing back home, and we can’t wait until we can all be together again.”

Because of ongoing border restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and mindful of public safety measures in Canada, the team has decided they will continue to play their home games in Tampa for the remainder of the 2020-21 season.

Details: https://t.co/3n6yp5tjjB pic.twitter.com/gs6kyWDqmu

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) February 11, 2021

The team had originally planned to play their home games for the first half of the season at the Amalie Arena, which they share with the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Raptors are currently 6-5 in “home” games.

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