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Raptors to hold training camp in Calgary, play Jokic and Nuggets in Vancouver

Season 31 of Raptors basketball will start in Western Canada and California.

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The Toronto Raptors are Canada’s NBA team, so it’s only fitting they’ll visit Alberta and British Columbia this Fall.

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The team announced Tuesday that training camp will be held at the University of Calgary, starting September 30, marking the first time Toronto’s held its camp in Alberta.

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Additionally, NBA Canada announced Tuesday Toronto would host the Denver Nuggets in Vancouver on October 6. It’s a nice gift from the league, considering it let former owner Michael Heisley screw over Grizzlies fans with the move to Memphis. Now fans there will get to see three-time NBA MVP and all-time great Nikola Jokic, two of the league’s best Canadians in Jamal Murray and RJ Barrett, plus long-time Raptors favourite Jonas Valanciunas, new Denver addition Cam Johnson and rookie Raptors Collin Murray-Boyles. As well, they should see the Raptors debut of former all-star forward Brandon Ingram.

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“It’s always an honour and a pleasure to get to return home to play basketball in Canada,” Murray said in a release. “I’m excited for the opportunity for myself and my team to face off against the Raptors in front of the basketball-hungry fans of Vancouver, it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

The NBA Canada Series has featured 16 teams playing 19 preseason games in six Canadian cities, with 14 of the games including the Raptors. This will be the seventh Canada Series game in Vancouver.

Toronto last played a pre-season game in Calgary in 2016 after previously doing so in 1996.

“It’s been nearly a decade since we were last in Calgary – so we’re excited to be spending the better part of a week in Stampede City,” Raptors general manager Bobby Webster said in a release.

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“Training camp is really important for our team. It’s where we come together to focus on the year ahead, so making sure the city and the venue works is key. We think Calgary will be great – the facilities at UCalgary are top-class and we’re looking forward to exploring all the city has to offer.”

Raptors media day will be held on September 29 in Toronto before the team heads to Calgary for practices September 30-October 2 at Jack Simpson Gym. While these sessions are closed to the public, the Raptors will host their annual Open Practice on October 3 at Jack Simpson Gym.

“It’s shaping up to be a big year for basketball at the University of Calgary, and we are thrilled to welcome the Toronto Raptors to campus and the Jack Simpson Gym for training camp this fall,” said University of Calgary director of athletics Ben Matchett in the release. “This event will bookend our hosting of the U SPORTS Men’s Basketball Final 8 in March 2026. We look forward to welcoming the Raptors to the Home of the Dinos and creating an outstanding opportunity for the vibrant Calgary basketball community to witness the highest level of the sport in-person at the Open Practice on Oct. 3.”

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After heading to Vancouver for the game against the Grizzlies, Toronto will play in Sacramento on October 8, then host Boston in Toronto on October 10, with games in Washington and Boston following and another at Toronto against Brooklyn completing the exhibition slate on October 17.

“We love the vibe, the city, the arena and especially the fans,” Webster said of Vancouver. “Part of the experience is seeing the players on our young team realize how much support the Raptors have across Canada. It’s awesome — the realization that they play for a country, not just a city, is an important moment. It’s also really fun. We’re looking forward to being back.”

Tickets will go on sale on Wednesday, Aug. 27 for the Nuggets game. Fans can register their interest in tickets and gain access to exclusive presale information by visiting NBA.com/CanadaSeries.

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