toronto raptors parade

The most memorable moments from the Toronto Raptors parade and celebrations

It's been a wild, exhausting ride for Toronto sports fans this NBA post-season — one that culminated in an all-day victory party on Monday where millions came together in celebration of the Raptors winning their first ever championship.

A lot happened over the course of what Mayor John Tory had proclaimed as "We The North Day" in Toronto, much of it quite exciting. 

Some bad things — chiefly a shooting and two stabbings — did take place in tandem with the festivities, but for an event that drew an estimated two million people into the downtown core at the same time, it was an overwhelmingly positive one.

Here are just a few of the happy highlights from the Toronto Raptors Championship Parade and subsequent rally at Nathan Phillips Square on June 17.

Plant guy finally gives a plant to Kawhi

The fan who famously carried around a "kawh-actus" for Raptors star Kawhi Leonard after Toronto won its first ever NBA title on Thursday night finally got to give his idol a housewarming gift.

Serge Ibaka showers paradegoers with champagne

As did Jeremy Lin, Fred Van Vleet, Norman Powell, Pascal Siakam, Drake, Marc Gasol and others. It was a boozy day, all around.

Kawhi Leonard hints at re-signing with the Raps

Fans along the parade route broke out into chants of "one more year" at one point as the bus carrying Leonard drove by. Kyle Lowry urged them to start chanting "five more years" instead, and Kawhi's reaction suggests that he might not peace out to California any time soon.

Two million people took to the streets

Like... enough said. Nobody who was anywhere in the downtown core yesterday will ever forget how jam-packed the streets of Toronto were for the Raptors Championship Parade.

Fan throws beer for Drake to chug

He may not be an NBA player, but Drake has got some serious hand-eye coordination skills — as evidenced by the flying beer he caught and chugged (as well as a perfect mic drop later on in the day.)

Fake Kawhi Leonard signs autographs along the parade route

People on Twitter couldn't get enough of slamming the people clamouring for photos with a guy who didn't really even look that much like Kawhi Leonard, aside from his hair.

Raptors fans burst into O Canada

Patriotic Torontonians paid homage to the first Canadian NBA team ever to win a championship with a rousing rendition of O Canada along the parade route.

Marc Gasol gets lit

The people of Toronto really enjoyed seeing their fierce champions off the clock and letting loose. The Raptors themselves seemed to enjoy it quite a bit, too.

Kawhi Leonard busts out his famous "fun guy" laugh

Leonard's victory speech at Nathan Phillips Square both choked up and tickled hundreds of thousands of fans on Monday afternoon. His teammates straight up lost it at the end of the speech when Leonard imitated his own strange "fun guy" laugh as heard at a pre-season press conference in September.


Air Drake does flyovers

Along with the snowbirds, Drake's personal jumbo jet took to the skies in celebration of the Raptors and their first ever NBA Finals win.

The Raptor went HAM on some cars

The NBA's best mascot did what he did best during the parade with hours upon hours of straight stunting on vehicles along the route.

All in all, it was a very special day — one that every Raptors fan will surely cherish for a lifetime.

Lead photo by

Fareen Kareem


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