Former Raptors enemy LeBron James has ‘nothing but love’ for Toronto fans

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As he enters the twilight of his career, LeBron James has seen himself morph from being the Toronto Raptors’ most hated foe — the chief architect of a number of playoff exits in the mid-2010s — to the most celebrated visiting player.

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Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena, fans wearing the Los Angeles Lakers gold and purple jerseys bearing James’ team number (he’s worn 6 and 23 during his six seasons with the storied club) outnumbered attendees wearing Raptors gear. His longtime supporters sported Cleveland Cavaliers gear and jerseys from his days with the Miami Heat. Cheers for the 20-time NBA All Star were deafening in the pre-game warmups and player introductions. As the 39-year-old made his first on-court appearance in Toronto in over two years, those cheers continued until James exited the game in the third quarter as the Lakers rolled to a 128-111 win.

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It was a far cry from the 2017-2018 season when James terrorized the Raptors in the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals as a member of the Cavs. En route to sweeping Toronto out of the playoffs yet again, the four-time NBA MVP earned the nickname “LeBronto” thanks to his domination over the squad.

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After losing 4-2 in the 2016 Eastern Conference Final, Toronto was swept by James in back-to-back playoff appearances. 

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His play against the Raptors led to former bench boss Dwane Casey being fired in 2018 and the team trading away fan favourite DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard. The moves paid off — Toronto won its first championship in 2019 — but James’ impact on the Raptors was arguably the biggest he made on any team he didn’t play for.

So when James touched the ball Tuesday night, the crowd would immediately perch forward in their seats so they could soak in his fluid movements as he made his way up the court. Every time he scored one of his 23 points, fans rallied around him as if he was one of their own.

No longer the villain, James, as he enters the final years of his 21 seasons, has been crowned a King by the very people who jeered him close to a decade ago.

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Afterwards, James acknowledged the support he got from the throngs inside Scotiabank Arena.

“It’s always been mutual respect, and love every time I come here and play here,” James said. “Throughout my career they’ve shown me nothing but love, even throughout the battles in the postseason or whatever the case may be. These fans are always appreciative of myself and I just always try to give it back to them when I step out on the floor.”

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In 2018, James credited Casey for helping him become the player he is as he reflected on playing against the coach when he was part of the Dallas Mavericks organization in 2011.

“I wasn’t that good of a player in that series. I wasn’t a complete basketball player,” James told reporters after Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. “Dwane Casey drew up a game plan against me to take away things that I’m good at and to try to make me do things that I wasn’t very good at.

“So, he’s part of the reason I am who I am today.”

After he scored 40 points Sunday night against the lowly Brooklyn Nets, James looked unstoppable. But he knows he doesn’t have much time left on the court.

“Not very long,” James said, when EPSN’s Dave McMenamin asked him how much longer he intends to play. “Not very long. I’m on the other side, obviously, of the hill. So I’m not going to play another 21 years, that’s for damn sure. But not very long. I don’t know what or when that door will close as far as when I retire, but I don’t have much time left.”

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Earlier this season, James said he was “50-50″ on whether he’d embark on a farewell season or just announce his retirement.

“I’m going to be honest. There are times I feel like I owe it to my fans who have been along this journey with me for two decades-plus, to be able to give them that moment, where it’s every city, and they give you your flowers or whatever the case may be. That seems cool, but the other side — I’ve never been that great with accepting praise. It’s a weird feeling for me. I’ve never really talked about it much,” he told reporters during this year’s All Star Game in Indianapolis. 

“We’ll see. I don’t know how it’s going to end, but it’s coming,” he said.

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After the Lakers handed the Raptors the team’s 14th straight loss, Toronto head coach Darko Rajakovic said that the squad need to “embrace the moment.”

“He’s just so elite. It’s amazing to see a player at this age, after 20 years in NBA to play at this high a level,” Rajakovic said. “We gotta really embrace this moment and to be grateful that we’re living in (the) era of LeBron James.”

Raptors rookie Gradey Dick, who was born during James’ inaugural season back in 2003, called the superstar “a role model.”

“He’s honestly the reason I started playing basketball …,” Dick said following his first game against James. “It’s just it’s a dream come true playing these guys night in night out.”

mdaniell@postmedia.com

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