The Canadian Elite Basketball League is coming to the Greater Toronto Area.
On Monday, the CEBL announced that the Scarborough Shooting Stars will be the league's eighth franchise, beginning play when the league's 2022 season begins next May.
The Scarborough franchise is led by owners Nicholas "Niko" Carino, who is one of the founding members of Drake's October's Very Own (OVO) record label and Sam Ibraham, who is a founding member of investment firm Playground Global.
Both Carino and Ibrahim are natives of Scarborough, bringing professional basketball to the community in which they were both born and raised. Mike Morreale, CEO and Commissioner of the CEBL, had this to say of the area: "Scarborough is a basketball hotbed that has produced some of Canada’s very best players.
"When the new team hits the court in 2022 it will bring an elevated passion and love for the game, the Scarborough community, and for the next generation of CEBL stars."
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The CEBL, which is wrapping the 2021 season, was launched in 2018 and began play in 2019 with its charter franchises in Hamilton, Edmonton, Guelph, Niagara (St. Catharines), Fraser Valley (Abbotsford), and Saskatchewan (Saskatoon).
Prior to the 2020 season, the league added the Ottawa Blackjacks to bring the number of teams to seven.
As evidenced by the expansion the CEBL is a growing league that is promoting the sport of basketball in Canada by providing a platform for some of Canada's best basketball talent while growing the game in each of the areas that host franchises.
Head to CEBL.ca for more information on the league or follow the league on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.
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