There wasn’t a lot to cheer for at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday night as the Raptors were blown out by the Knicks during their NBA Cup quarterfinal matchup.
However, one fan in the stands got a bigger reaction than any player on the floor.
Move aside, Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram, there’s a new sensation wearing a Raptors jersey that fans are eating up.
During a break in play, a cameraman spotted a toddler wearing a No. 4 Raptors jersey, standing on a staircase beside a seated woman, who appeared to be their mother.
After some encouragement from mom, who pointed out their appearance on the arena video boards, the youngster stepped out and began to dance, swaying back and forth while bobbing up and down.
After a giving a fist-bump to another fan in the row below, the tot switched up the routine, clapping and then waving a hand while jumping — mom made a quick save as the kid nearly fell backwards in his enthusiasm.
Fans at Scotiabank Arena went wild – and so did the Internet.
Viewed more than half-million times
As of Wednesday morning, a clip posted by the NBA’s official X account had been viewed more than 523,000 times.
“This tiny king in the Barnes jersey just stole the whole NBA Cup,” one user commented.
“Future NBA star in the making,” another wrote.
Another suggested a team-up with Popcorn Kid, who went viral during a Phoenix Suns game earlier this year.
After garnering such a big reaction for his routine, cameras found the kid again later in the game and he gave a big wave to the crowd before sticking out their tongue to some laughs.
Other fans were left wondering if the toddler could help the Raptors on the floor.
“Can he shoot?” one user asked on Instagram.
“Give him Gradey’s minutes,” another user suggested, referring to struggling former first-round pick Gradey Dick.
“Bro’s got the move, sign him already,” a third user wrote.
Raptors get blown out
The sentiment is understandable, given how it was a game that the Raptors probably would like to forget.
With a chance to advance to the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas on the line, the team put up a dud.
Toronto scored just 13 points in the second quarter and went into halftime trailing the visitors by a score of 69-52. There was no recovering after the break, with New York walking away with a 117-101 victory.
Ingram led the hosts with 31 points while Jalen Brunson scored 35 for the Knicks. New York had six different players score in double-digits, including all five starters.
Toronto was without starting point guard Immanuel Quickley due to illness, and RJ Barrett has been out since suffering an injury on Nov. 23 vs the Brooklyn Nets.