'Dream bigger': Newest member of Toronto Raptors hopes to be role model for kids in Rexdale
As the newest member of the Toronto Raptors—and the first Canadian drafted to the team—Dalano Banton hopes to be a role model for kids in his old neighbourhood.
The six-foot-nine and 204-pound guard grew up in Rexdale, near the intersection of Kipling Avenue and Mount Olive Drive. While speaking with reporters on Sunday afternoon at his first news conference as a Raptor, Banton said that his upbringing in that neighbourhood made him the person he was today, describing the community as a “tight knit family.”
“I feel like just having to pick the image of like Canada or Toronto or wherever, it just has this only this one side of it, where everyone's like, super nice, but not understanding that there's real neighborhoods where you have to come out and you know, put on like a tough face,” he said.
“You have to bet on yourself and believe in yourself. Because if you don't, you know, no one's going to do it for you. I learned that at an early age and just to put my mind to something and keep going.”
For Banton, who said the Toronto Raptors was his “favourite team” growing up, this moment was a dream come true, especially for a kid who started his career playing across the street from where he lived at the Rexdale Community Hub, and then the North Kipling Community Centre.
“Just being able to take advantage of those community centers to just keep yourself off the street, keep yourself out of trouble you know, I feel like that was the blessing for me that I had those community centers to just keep me in the gym,” the 21-year-old said. “The same gyms that you're going to today could go a long way if you just keep your mind to it. So it's not about where you are, it's about where you plan to be.”
“Dream bigger, you know, plan to live bigger. That's what I always did.”
Banton even kept his neighbourhood in mind when choosing his jersey—a tribute to the 45 Kipling TTC bus he often took while in Rexdale.
“When I was trying to think of a number that means something to me, I was kind of getting tired of just wearing numbers. I feel like you can always make meaning of something, so I felt like once that clicked to me it stuck,” he said.
During his sophomore season for Nebraska last year, Banton averaged 9.6 points, 3.9 assists and 5.9 rebounds.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Rainfall warnings of up to 80 mm among weather alerts in effect for 6 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres and other alerts have been issued for six Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Bus plunges off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people. An 8-year-old child is only survivor
A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said.
Calgary bridges remain closed due to ongoing police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.