It’s not clear if the Toronto Raptors would get a White House invitation no matter what, and it’s even less clear if the team would accept it given the controversial nature of President Donald Trump.
It’s customary for the White House to invite champions of the four major sports teams to a visit at the White House, and the bulk of Toronto’s roster is American-born. However, the precedent is mixed, as the Raptors are the first Canadian team to win a title since 1993, and the Toronto Blue Jays are the only Canadian team to get a visit after winning the 1992 World Series.
Raptors coach Nick Nurse seemed to indicate that a presidential visit may not be in the cards, suggesting that the team is already planning to visit Prime Minister Justin Trudeau but has yet to hear from the White House.
Nick Nurse on potential White House visit:
"We're here, let's visit Trudeau. We're Canada's team."
Said that plans are already in the works for the visit to Parliament Hill. Haven't heard from the White House.
— Vivek Jacob (@VivekMJacob) June 19, 2019
The Golden State Warriors didn’t visit the White House either, mostly because President Trump didn’t want them there over their criticism of him and his policies. It’s doubtful that the Raptors would even be interested in a visit, and it seems off the table anyway.
