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Toronto FC: Players reimagined as Toronto Raptors

By Trevor Popoff

OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 13: Kyle Lowry #7 Kawhi Leonard #2 Fred VanVleet #23 Malcolm Miller #13 and Pascal Siakam #43 of the Toronto Raptors pose for a portrait with the Larry O'Brien Trophy after winning Game Six of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors on June 13, 2019 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 13: Kyle Lowry #7 Kawhi Leonard #2 Fred VanVleet #23 Malcolm Miller #13 and Pascal Siakam #43 of the Toronto Raptors pose for a portrait with the Larry O'Brien Trophy after winning Game Six of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors on June 13, 2019 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Last week, the Toronto Raptors won their first NBA title, defeating the Golden State Warriors in the finals. But who do Toronto FC players compare to among their NBA compatriots?

On June 13, 2019, the Toronto Raptors shocked the sporting world and won their first NBA championship.

In honour of this momentous occasion, here is every prominent Toronto FC player if they were a Toronto Raptor. And before you say this article is pointless…well it kinda is but hey Toronto is back on top!

Related Story. MLS: Ranking all 24 stadiums. light

Here are my suggestions:

(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Alejandro Pozuelo – Kawhi Leonard

For starters, both Alejandro Pozuelo and Kawhi Leonard instantly became the best player on their respective teams the moment they signed. The Raptors were looking for an upgrade from a plateauing DeMar DeRozan and Toronto FC was looking to bounce back from losing its best player in club history.

Both had immediate impacts with their new teams as well. Leonard went for 24 points and 12 rebounds in his Raptors debut against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Not to be outdone, Pozuelo scored twice, while also tallying an assist in his first match with Toronto against New York City FC.

The similarities don’t even stop there. Both superstars left their former teams in, let’s just say, controversial fashion. Leonard requested a split from what was seemingly a marriage made in heaven between him and equally stoic coach Gregg Popovich’s San Antonio Spurs over Leonard’s perceived mishandling of a calf injury. Pozuelo took it one step further on his way out the door from Belgian club K.R.C. Genk, skipping the last game of the season and even threatening to bring a lawsuit against the club.

Both Spurs and Genk fans were, as you might expect, not pleased with these departures. Spurs fans voiced their displeasure when the Raptors rolled into town earlier this season and Genk supporters created a tifo of Pozuelo getting run over by a train. Both are tough to read, and certainly don’t rank up there with Taylor Swift in terms of handling break-ups, but boy are they both fun to watch.

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