Despite activists from the anti-Israel BDS movement claiming victory over the Toronto Raptors canceling their planned visit to Israel this summer after winning the NBA championship this year, the team’s co-owner Larry Tanenbaum said the issue pertained to scheduling conflicts.
Tanenbaum, who is Jewish, said that the #RaptorsDontGo campaign by the Canadian BDS Coalition played no role in the trip not transpiring.
“Following our NBA championship win, as an organization, our intention was to take the Raptors to Israel, but as you can imagine, managing a group of championship basketball players with increasingly demanding schedules, as well as having many of our players and coaches participating in the FIBA World Cup in China during August, made it simply impossible to find dates that worked for the whole team in this shortened off-season,” Tanenbaum told The Canadian Jewish News.
“I find it curious that anti-Israel activists, about whom I have little knowledge, are taking credit for our scheduling challenges. I think legitimate questions can be raised about the intentions of a group that is attempting to sow division through sport,” he continued. “It seems to me that sport should be used as a vehicle to bring people together. Look at the Raptors. Our approach to diversity, in part, won us a championship.”
The Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors 4-2, earning its first championship.