The Toronto Raptors win Canada’s first NBA championship

The Toronto Raptors became the 2019 NBA champions Thursday, and they are the first team outside the US to do it.

Game 6 of the NBA Finals was tight, going back and forth between the Raptors and the Golden State Warriors. But the Raptors took the game in the end with a 114-110 for a 4-2 series victory.

The match ended the 2019 championship series and was a first-time win for the Raptors, who made their NBA Finals debut in their 24th season.

Kawhi Leonard, the All-Star forward Toronto acquired last summer from San Antonio, was named Finals MVP for the second time. Leonard is the third player to win the award with more than one franchise, along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James.

Raptors point-guard Kyle Lowry and forward Pascal Siakam put up spectacular performances as well, each with 26 points.

Kawhi Leonard celebrates after the Toronto Raptors won the NBA title with a 114-110 Game 6 victory over Golden State on Thursday, June 14. Leonard was named Finals MVP.

The Raptors celebrate with the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

Golden State players react as they realize their reign is over late in Game 6. This was the fifth straight season that the Warriors played in the NBA Finals.

Raptors fans celebrate during a viewing party outside Toronto's Scotiabank Arena.

Toronto point guard Kyle Lowry cherishes the victory.

Leonard and DeMarcus Cousins battle for a loose ball late in Game 6 as the Raptors led by one and the last few seconds ticked away.

The scramble, after a Stephen Curry missed 3-pointer, led to a timeout called by Golden State's Draymond Green with less than a second to play. The Warriors had no timeouts remaining, however, so they received a technical foul instead.

Curry misses a 3-pointer in the game's final seconds.

Golden State guard Klay Thompson fell awkwardly in the third quarter and twisted his knee. He shot two free throws after the play and then went to the locker room. He did not return to the game after that.

Toronto center Serge Ibaka takes a shot.

Lowry drives to the basket during the first half of Game 6. He had 21 points and six assists by halftime.

Three Raptors defend Stephen Curry in the first half of Game 6.

Golden State fans hold a sign for star forward Kevin Durant, who ruptured his Achilles in Game 5.

Curry rises for a shot during Game 5 on Monday, June 10. Curry had 31 points for the Warriors, who staved off elimination with a 106-105 win in Toronto.

Lowry had a shot to win Game 5 at the buzzer, but it was blocked by Green.

Leonard scores over Thompson during the second half of Game 5.

Durant, playing in his first game since injuring his calf in the Western Conference semifinals, went down in the second quarter of Game 5. He left the game and wouldn't return. Days later, it was confirmed that he had ruptured his Achilles tendon.

Lowry, left, and Marc Gasol double-team Thompson during Game 4 on Friday, June 7. The Raptors frustrated the high-powered Warriors en route to a 105-92 victory.

Toronto guard Fred VanVleet lies on the floor after he was hit in the face by an inadvertent elbow in Game 4. One of his teeth was also knocked out.

Curry is surrounded by Raptors during Game 3 on Wednesday, June 5. He scored 47 points, a playoff career-high, but it wasn't enough as the Raptors won 123-109.

Leonard reaches for a loose ball during the first half of Game 3. He finished the game with 30 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Thompson, second from right, sat out Game 3 with a hamstring injury. He was one of several Warriors who missed time during the series. Center Kevon Looney fractured cartilage in his chest in Game 2 and didn't return until Game 5. And Durant, of course, missed most of the series.

Lowry argues with Mark Stevens, a Warriors investor who pushed him in Game 3 after Lowry jumped into the seats for a loose ball. Stevens was fined $500,000 for the altercation and banned from Oracle Arena for a year.

Leonard rises for a shot during Game 3. This was his first season in Toronto. He was traded in July by the San Antonio Spurs, and he now becomes a free agent.

Warriors fans get ready for Game 3 at Oracle Arena. Next season, the team moves into a new arena in San Francisco.

Warriors swingman Andre Iguodala broke the hearts of Raptors fans with a key 3-pointer late in Game 2. Golden State won 109-104 to even the series at one game apiece.

Former US President Barack Obama waves to the crowd while attending Game 2 in Toronto.

Siakam shoots during Game 1 on Thursday, May 30. Siakam scored a career-high 32 points as the Raptors won 118-109.

VanVleet is fouled by Green during the second half of Game 1.

Rapper Drake, a huge Raptors fan who sits courtside and often jaws with opposing players, celebrates during Game 1. Curry's father, Dell, used to play for the Raptors, and Drake was wearing his jersey.

Cousins tries to block an Ibaka shot during Game 1.

A view of Toronto's Scotiabank Arena before Game 1.

In photos: Raptors dethrone Warriors for first NBA title

Prev Next

READ: The first NBA player of Indian descent, who made history in 16 seconds

For the Golden State Warriors, it was a must-win battle at home at Oracle Arena in Oakland, where they were the defending champs and were aiming for their third title in a row and fourth in the last five years.

Just when things seemed to be tilting in the Warriors favor in Game Six, they suffered another devastating injury.

All-Star shooting-guard Klay Thompson fell to the floor after attempting a lay-up and was left clutching his knee, with the Warriors announcing later that he had torn his ACL.

In an incredible display of toughness, Thompson returned to the court, completed his two free-throws before being helped to the locker-room.

It was all too familiar for the Warriors. The team was playing without two-time NBA Finals MVP, Kevin Durant, who in Game 5 of the NBA Finals was helped off the court after suffering an Achilles injury, while his team went on to win the game 106-105.

The Toronot raptors tweeted an image of them on the wrong bridge.

Toronto Raptors posted an NBA Finals pregame photo on the wrong bridge

It was the last ever game for the Warriors at Oracle Arena, 47 years after its opening as the Oakland Coliseum. The team will move next season to the Chase Center in San Francisco.

The Toronto Raptors, the only active Canadian franchise in the NBA, became the team of not just the city, but of their nation, according to the mayor of Almonte, a town more than 360 miles from Toronto.

READ: ‘We all have Hoop Dreams’

And some big Canadian names took to social media to celebrate.

Drake, a Canadian rapper and fan of the team, announced on Instagram that he will release two singles in celebration of the Raptors’ success.

Canada’s Prime Minister tweeted his congratulations.

“HISTORIC!” said the Toronto Maple Leafs. Canada’s teams have had a title drought since 1993 in four major North American sports–NBA, MLB, NHL and the NFL– and the Raptor’s win broke the trend.

CNN’s Homero De la Fuente contributed to this report.