7-foot-4 Toronto-born NBA star says playing at Scotiabank Arena is 'crazy'

A loud cheer erupted from the Toronto Raptors crowd the moment 7-foot-4 Memphis Grizzlies centre Zach Edey stepped onto the court at Scotiabank Arena on Monday night.

The Grizzlies drafted Edey in 2024, but Monday marked only his second trip to Toronto during his NBA career. Naturally, he had plenty of family and friends in the stands to take it in.

The 24-year-old grew up less than a 30-minute drive from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto's Leaside neighbourhood, where he attended Leaside High School and played competitive baseball and hockey before his height and athleticism eventually led him to basketball in Grade 10.

Edey put that athleticism on display in front of Raptors fans on Monday, recording eight points and nine rebounds in 23 minutes while finishing with an impressive plus-11 rating.

Leaside native Zach Edey takes in the Canadian national anthem ahead of Monday's game against his hometown Toronto Raptors. (John E. Sokolowski/Imagn Images)

Speaking with reporters after the Grizzlies defeated the Raptors 118-102, Edey said the novelty of playing in his hometown hasn't worn off at all.

"It's crazy. I really don't know how else to put it. I didn't get to play here last year, but I've been here twice now," he said.

"It's always a lot of fun to come home, hear the anthem, and get into the atmosphere again."

The third-year centre did not travel to Toronto last season when Memphis made their only trip to the city, as he was out recovering from several surgeries to repair and address excessive ligamentous laxity in his left ankle.

Edey came into the 2026-27 season healthy and has now played in nine of 10 games for Memphis, leading them to a surprising 7-3 record.

Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo said before Monday's game that he sees a lot of potential in Edey. Still, given his injury history, Iisalo wants to be careful in managing his workload.

"We'd be very dumb right now to push him to the extreme. He didn't play a lot of basketball last year and needs to build back his pace," said Iisalo.

#Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo chatted about why he’s being careful about 🇨🇦 star Zach Edey. “We’d be very dumb right now to push him into the extreme. “He didn’t play a lot of basketball last year and needs to build back his pace.” https://t.co/AzxsbEpxDf

— Marley Dickinson (@marleydickinson) November 9, 2026

Despite the precautions, Iisalo seemed to give Edey a longer leash against his hometown team, allowing him to play a season-high 23 minutes against Toronto.

Though we imagine those extra minutes were special for Edey, who clearly hasn't lost any excitement about returning to play in the city he grew up in with family and friends in the stands.