There was a special guest in attendance at Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday and Toronto made sure to give him a warm welcome.
When the camera panned to former President Barack Obama late in the second quarter, fans in Scotiabank Arena erupted into an "MVP" chant while giving him a standing ovation.
Presidential welcome.#WeTheNorth | @BarackObama pic.twitter.com/2F3iHQ9oHx
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) June 3, 2019
Obama's plans to attend the game were not announced until just a few hours before tipoff. He was reportedly going to accompany Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, however Trudeau stayed home.
Instead, Obama entered beside Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri.
No. 44#WeTheNorth | @BarackObama pic.twitter.com/7p1TZKyob6
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) June 2, 2019
The Warriors topped the Raptors 109-104 to tie the series at 1-1.
Golden State fell behind early, but came on strong as usual in the third quarter. The two-time defending champions kicked off the second half on an 18-0 run, and Toronto couldn't recover quickly enough.
Game 3 of the NBA Finals will take place Wednesday at Oracle Arena.
The matchup will tip off at 9 p.m. ET.