Raptors Got The "Rock Star" Treatment In Alberta & VanVleet's Reaction Was So Wholesome
He's stoked to be a part of "Canada's team."
Fred VanVleet. Right: A young Raptors fan in Alberta
The Toronto Raptors hosted the Utah Jazz in Edmonton on Sunday night, and to say Alberta was a bit fired up would be an understatement.
A jam-packed Rogers Place -- home of the Edmonton Oilers, reverberated with chants as Canada's NBA representatives laid the ground work for a 114-82 victory.
It's no secret that many of Toronto's die-hard supporters live outside of Ontario, but their full-tilt enthusiasm never ceases to amaze Fred VanVleet.
"Unbelievable, man. It blows me away every time we get to come to these different places that don't get to see us as much," the Raptors guard said during a post-game interview.
"Edmonton was amazing. You look up to the rafters, and it felt like people were hanging from the ceiling. It was just electric," he added.
\u201cLast week, the very first recipient of the Fred VanVleet scholarship, Abdullahi, was able to meet with Fred to chat about the scholarship, Abdullahi\u2019s studies as well as his focuses outside of the classroom.\u201d— Toronto Raptors (@Toronto Raptors) 1664816842
Ever humble, VanVleet also opened up about what it means to be the country's team and his hopes for giving Western Canada fans an evening to remember.
"From the moment we checked in the hotel yesterday, it was rock-star treatment, and hopefully, we put on a good show for them," he said. "It was just special, but it shows the Raptor brand and just how big we have grown and what we mean to the people and what the game means, what the team means being Canada's team right now."
Pascal Siakam also shared his love for the city on Twitter, seemingly still buzzing from the heartwarming reception.
\u201cThank you Edmonton! That was dope \u2764\ufe0f\u201d— pascal siakam (@pascal siakam) 1664760426
It was only the Toronto Raptors' third visit to Edmonton and their first since 2008.
The Raptors are scheduled to face off against the Boston Celtics next at TD Garden on Wednesday, October 5 as the preseason looks to wrap up before the 2022-23 edition of the NBA begins on October 19.
The Canadian team kick-off things against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Scotiabank Arena.