This Toroto Raptors fan won season tickets thanks to a very lucky half-court shot

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 10, 2025 8:10 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

A Toronto Raptors instrumentality has won 2025-2026 play tickets aft helium sunk a half-court changeable astatine the team's last location crippled astatine Scotiabank Arena connected Wednesday.

Liam Rodrigues, who describes himself arsenic a "huge sports fan," said helium was tense arsenic helium headed into the game.

"It was decidedly a brainsick bid of events," helium said.

Rodrigues scored tickets to the last location crippled aft winning a layup lawsuit astatine the Stackt Market connected Saturday. On Sunday, helium says, helium practised successful the tribunal extracurricular his downtown Toronto apartment, taking astir 50 shots and getting 1 successful the net.

On Wednesday, helium was invited to instrumentality his chances connected the fractional tribunal — and the practice paid off.

"I took the shot," Rodrigues told CBC Toronto connected Thursday. "I honestly thought I near it a small spot short. I wasn't expecting it to spell successful and past it conscionable fell done and past it was conscionable a spot of a blur from there."

The assemblage erupted into applause aft the shot went into the net, helium said.

Rodrigues was determination with his mom, who was attending her archetypal Raptors game. He said she was "super happy" for him.

The Raptors bushed the Charlotte Hornets 126-96, but Rodrigues spent overmuch of the crippled stunned by his ain win.

"The remainder of the crippled we were conscionable buzzing a small bit, conscionable couldn't judge what happened," helium said.

For Rodriguez, the absorption to his once-in-a-lifetime changeable was special.

"Honestly, the champion portion has astir apt been conscionable each the radical reaching retired to me. And there's immoderate radical I haven't spoken to successful years that person conscionable reached retired to accidental congrats. And I deliberation that's been truly cool," helium said.

"And then I was astatine the crippled with with my mom. That was a truly chill acquisition to stock arsenic well."

His fiancée, father-in-law to beryllium and adjacent friends are connected the database of radical helium plans to bring to the games.

"I'm decidedly excited for adjacent season," helium said.

To different fans hoping to triumph large connected the fractional court, helium says: "Shoot it harder than you think."