Former Toronto Raptors player Patrick McCaw saw his European playing days cut short before they even began due to a visa issue, according to a recent report.

Signing earlier this summer to continue his pro basketball career with Belgian club BC Oostende, the 27-year-old American forward McCaw could not make it to his new team and was ultimately deported back to the United States.

McCaw was detained for four days at a transit centre in the Belgian city of Steenokkerzeel (the site of the Brussels airport), Belgian outlet Sporza reported over the weekend.

The report shows that what happened to McCaw isn't exactly clear from when he boarded the plane to when he reached customs in Europe.

"Upon his arrival in Belgium, McCaw failed to pass passport control. By some strange twist, his passport was flagged as 'lost' or 'stolen,'" Sporza wrote, as translated via Google.

Sporza added that Minister of State Johan Vande Lanotte visited McCaw in an effort to free him, but his efforts were ultimately deemed unsuccessful, as it would take "months" for him to receive a new passport.

Across his NBA career that spanned five seasons, including three with Toronto, McCaw suited up for 199 regular-season games and 32 playoff contests for the Raptors, Golden State Warriors, and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Despite being a deep rotation player, McCaw earned some notoriety among NBA fans for his seeming good luck charm nature, as he won the NBA championship in each of his first three seasons in the league — two with Golden State and one with Toronto.

He most recently played for the Raptors in the 2020-21 season while spending parts of the last two seasons with the Delaware Blue Coats, a G League affiliate of the Philadelphia 76ers.

His winning ways continued with Delaware, picking up the G League title in 2023.