We The North | 2019 NBA Finals

It’s exciting times for fellow Canadians as the Toronto Raptors punched their ticket to the 2019 NBA Finals. They lead to series 2-1 over the Golden State Warriors with a convincing win Wednesday night 123-109. Kawhi Leonard continues to show us why he’s the best player in this years playoffs, He finished with 30 points, 6 , and 7 in game 3. As for the Toronto Raptors they’re 2 wins away from their first NBA title in franchise history. 24 years in the making for The Raptors as they’ve broke several barriers all year. It’s safe to say that the Toronto Raptors influenced Canada’s unique sports culture. If you’re from Canada, you know basketball isn’t our dominant sport. Hockey and baseball receive all the attention. Within the last 5-year, the Raptors garnered a high level of interest from fans. We’ve witness a culture shift with basketball here in Canada, the NBA has grown to o become the most progressive sports league in North America.

Kahwi Leonard led the way for the Raptors in their game 1 victory. (Photo by: NBA)

“You know it’s big, I’m happy we got it. 2 wins away now and let’s see where momentum carries us to ”

— Kawhi Leonard

The topic of discussion this series has been about Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant. KD hasn’t suited up for a game this series due to a calf strain that occurred in the western conference semi-finals. The Warriors really could use some firepower for their Finals MVP as they trail to Toronto 2-1. The Golden State Warriors were without Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Kevon Looney in Game 3. With the absence of their core, Stephen Curry poured in a game-high of 47 points in their loss. The story in game 3 was the outside shooting of the Toronto Raptors, they shot 45% from 3pt range and made 17 threes. Heading into Game 4 Kevin Durant has been ruled out (calf), will the Raptors continue to take advantage of KD’s absence? or will the splash brothers even up the series at 2-2?

The Toronto Raptors won game 3 convincingly 123-109 over the Golden State Warriors ( Photo by: CBS Sports)

“We can’t really worry about that stuff, I keep saying every single game is critical. We had a lot of this throughout the playoffs with other teams and guys out, we had some guys out.”

— Nick Nurse

Game 4 will be live from Oracle Arena, the Toronto Raptors have the opportunity to head back home with a convincing 3-1 lead over the Warriors. With a depleted Warriors ball club and the momentum in the raptors favour they should have the upper edge. The Warriors will be with their sharp shooter Klay Thompson in game 4, who poured in 25 points in game 2. The Raptors need a huge game from their leader and all-star Kyle Lowry, throughout this post-season Kyle Lowry has shown strong leadership qualities and has elevated his ball club when called upon. In game 3 Kyle poured in 23 points, 9 assists, shooting 50% from the field. The Raptors are very tough to beat when their clicking on all cylinders, but if it’s any team who can weather the storm, it would be the defending champs. Game 4 will be a pivotal moment for the Raptors; it’s exciting times for Canada as history is being written. I’m calling it, RAPTORS IN 6!!!!!!!!!

The Raptors are in the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, they lead the defending champs GSW 2-1. (Photo by: The Score)

“These guys are in trouble, they’re in injury trouble. Looney was out, KD is out, and Klay is out!!”

— Max Kellerman

Thanks: @raptors,@nba, @bleacherreport, @thescore

2019 NBA Finals

Gratitude Is A Must | RozaayMGMT Book & Sneaker Drive

Living in world where selfless acts of devotion are underappreciated, We must shed light on those who inspire the our generation to make the world a better place. CEO/Founder of RozaayMGMT Randy Osei has created a platform that has served various communities globally. The Brampton native started the “ RozaayMGMT Book & Sneaker Drive in Fall of 2017, where he began collecting shoes and books to donate to schools and orphanages back in Ghana. Randy saw a problem in Ghana due to the lack of educational resources and access to greater opportunities. That was the harsh reality for a kid in Ghana, whereas in first world country, children have the necessary tools in pursuit of a better life. The first step was spreading awareness across The Greater Toronto Area. RozaayMGMT hosted various events to collect shoes and books, also with the help of NBA athletes and personnel helped raised funds for their initiative. I had the opportunity to support Randy with his humanitarian initiative and conduct an interview with him too. It was quite refreshing hearing some insight being the RozaayMGMT Book and Sneaker Drive.

RozaayManagement facilitated a basketball clinic for the youth in Ghana (Photo by: Steven Van)

“I’ve known him for a very long time, he’s a good guy and does things the right way and I’m happy to be apart of these charities that he’s contributed to. ”

— C.J. McCollum (Portland Trailblazer)

R: The Idea for RMBSD launched back in 2016. After a successful NBA All-Star Weekend in Toronto, I decided that I wanted to go back to Ghana to visit for the first time ever. So I booked a flight for my Dad and I, and when i got there, i was so overwhelmed with emotions to finally be home that I was brought to tears. My tip only lasted 10 days, but while there I saw a lot of kids not in school, working in the markets and not many had shoes that would sustain the tough African terrain.

But that’s not the main reason as to why I started the RMBSD; I looked at all those kids and saw myself in them. I said to myself “if my parents didn’t find ways to Canada, I could have been one of these children”. I got back to Toronto and began to put together a project in which I can give back to Ghana and also Toronto.

In year 2 of the RozaayMGMT Book & Sneaker Drive Randy Osei and team collected over 550 sneakers and raised $12,000 dollars. (Photo by: RozaayMGMT)

H: What are some Challenges that occurred during this project?

R: Challenges for me this year was being able to juggle so many things at once. Running a company full time by myself and running the passion project was extremely tough because their is only so many hours in a day. With that being said, I had to turn to my dad and best friend for support. With their help and a lot of people within my network, we were able to get over our biggest hurdle, raising money. We had a goal of raising $20,000 through the year 2 campaign but fell short and only raised $12,000.

We figured out some things out and brought forth partners and sponsors that helped alleviate some costs. We would like to thanks the Townsend Team for sponsoring this year’s RMBSD and also Summer Hill Estates and Ghanalink for taking care of our accommodations while we were in Ghana.

CEO Randy Osei imparting his knowledge back to the residents in Ghana. (Photo by: RozaayMGMT)

“First of all the RM Book and Sneaker Drive itself is an incredible campaign, its from the heart and it’s genuine. ”

— Martin Romaris (Educator Cardinal Leger HS)

H: Where do you see the RMBSD in the next 5 years?

R: In 5 years, I definitely see the project becoming way more. We want to create sustainable solutions to grow the game of basketball in Ghana. Next year, we would like to bring down some high level coaches to host a coaches clinic. We also want to buy basketball nets for all orphanages and schools that we’ve visited. We also plan to refurbished basketball courts as well. I see this project going across multiple countries and touching more and more lives.

“I’ve been inspired by Randy’s humanitarian work over the years, it’s been a pleasure to watch the RMBSD flourish. ”

— Hussein A. (Founder of TGQ)

Figure: Randy Osei

Interviewer: Hussein Abdullahi

Thanks: @RozaayMGMT, @randyrozaay, @tgg.inc, @StevenVan