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This article is brought to you by: NIKE CANADA
The rise of basketball talent in Toronto is undeniable, and in the last 10 years, the growth of Canadian athletes has pushed the limits of the city’s basketball infrastructure. In other words, the Raptors aren’t the only talented ball players in the city, let alone the country, and Canadian home-grown players have been asking for a summer league that brings together the best to fuel the movement of Canadian basketball.
To accelerate the ground swell, Nike basketball introduced a summer league called CROWN LEAGUE three years ago. With a rich history of summer basketball, from street to league-curated, finally, a Canadian league has attracted a country-wide audience, which continues to inspire future ballers to pursue their hoop dreams too. From day one, the on-court skills have brought in a full-house audience of young ballers, urban style definers, friends, family members and basketball fans – defining CROWN LEAGUE as the Friday night spot in Toronto.
Tipping off on June 30, this year’s rosters on the six competing teams are stacked.
New this year, Nike and local basketball stakeholders - coaches of the best GTA clubs, mentors who have curated talent pipelines, and Toronto community members who have invested in local basketball - have levelled up the talent on-court through NBA and NCAA sanctioning, attracting a whole new talent pool to claim CROWN LEAGUE royalty. Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s Nike CROWN LEAGUE:
When and where
Every Friday night from June 30th to July 28th, CROWN LEAGUE will host three games consisting of the six teams in the league starting at 6:30pm EST. Semifinals are scheduled for Friday, July 21 with the consolation finals and finals held on Friday, July 28. For the second consecutive year, Ryerson University’s Kerr Hall—a venue rich in basketball history—will play host. The original venue was one of the original six Toronto high schools, Jarvis Collegiate, but was relocated to Kerr Hall in 2016 to increase audience capacity.
The teams
Six teams take on Kerr Hall this year, representing the future of Toronto basketball. The teams are:
- M.A.D.E.
- ACE
- 1Love T.O.
- CIA Bounce
- 6Man
- Northern Kings
This year CROWN LEAGUE is newly sanctioned by both the NBA and the NCAA. This certification allows Division 1 student-athletes to participate, extending the player talent on an international scale. Each GM has built a 20 player roster with roughly 120 total athletes participating in the league. Players include international and local athletes who have competed in global professional leagues, NCAA, CIS and the NBA.
In the last two years, a number of NBA athletes stopped by CROWN LEAGUE to sit courtside or compete. Courtside and on-court appearances included Kelly Olynyk, Tristan Thompson, James Johnson, Anthony Bennett, Cory Joseph, Joel Anthony, Jamal Murray, Bruno Caboclo and Andrew Nicholson.
For the fans
As much as CROWN LEAGUE is an opportunity for athletes to hone their skills, it’s also an event organized for the biggest basketball fans in Toronto.
Weekly experiences will include an on-site CROWN LEAGUE pop-up shop, live DJ performances, a variety of food and drink offerings, and displays showing off the latest and greatest in Nike Basketball product.
If you want to catch a game (or multiple games), visit nike.com/CROWNLEAGUE to learn more and register to claim your seat.