During their game on Friday night against the Boston Celtics, the Toronto Raptors are also choosing to honour Wayne Embry, a senior basketball adviser for the team since 2004 and the first Black general manager in NBA history.
Embry, a former All-Star during his own playing days, was the general manager of the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers, as well as a brief interim stint with the Raptors; he won the league’s Executive of the Year award in the 1990s with the Cavs. He’s one of the great trail blazers in the history of the NBA, and the Raptors actually offer a fellowship in his name.
Before the Celtics game, Nick Nurse spoke about how the idea to honour Embry came to be, including how Masai Ujiri is one of those who can think him for paving the way. (Plus... that shirt.)
Even the Celtics showed some love to Embry on Twitter! Nothing like a true great to unite division rivals, at least for a moment.
