‘Surreal’: Toronto Raptors fan sinks half-court shot to win season tickets

Toronto Raptors fan Liam Rodrigues sunk a half-court shot to win a pair of season tickets. (@raptors/Instagram)

It was a big win for the Toronto Raptors Wednesday night as they routed the Charlotte Hornets 126-96, but there was an even bigger win for one lucky fan in the crowd.

As part of the halftime events at the Raptors’ final home game of the season, team sponsor Tangerine Bank was offering a pair of season tickets for the 2025-26 season if a fan could sink a half-court shot in one attempt.

Liam Rodrigues was the daring fan who stepped up to the plate, after qualifying for the chance in a different Tangerine event over the weekend.

Rodrigues told CP24 on Thursday evening that he took time on Sunday to practice his shots at an outdoor court beside his apartment.

“The people that were playing basketball around me probably thought I was crazy, because I was just strictly taking huge shots that weren’t even close to the net,” Rodrigues recounted, adding that the practice helped him get a sense for how hard he would need to throw it when it came time to hit the court at the Rogers Centre.

Rodrigues shared how he was both excited and nervous before he took the shot at Wednesday’s game.

“My goal was just to get the ball for the net and just try not to embarrass myself,” said Rodrigues.

Video shared to the Toronto Raptors’ social media accounts shows Rodrigues standing at half court ready to take his shot before jumping up and sinking it.

“As I shot it, I actually thought I left it short, and then it just dropped right through,” Rodrigues recounted. “Then from there, [it] was just all excitement.”

The crowd can be heard exploding into in cheers and applause and Rodrigues is then quickly mobbed by the Raptors’ event staff as they all celebrated the impressive feat.

“It’s a crazy moment and I’m just excited to go to a bunch of games next year with a bunch of different people,” said Rodrigues.

Despite the Raptors not making it into the NBA playoffs, it was a “surreal” night for Rodrigues and fans who witnessed his incredible shot.