For Toronto Raptors fans, missing out on Christmas Day is nothing new. Missing out on 2026, though, carries a different kind of weight.
The Raptors have been on the NBA’s Christmas slate only twice in their 27-year history. The first came in 2001, when they lost 102-94 to the New York Knicks. The second was in 2019, a 118-102 defeat to the Boston Celtics.
This time, plenty of fans expected Toronto to be one of the 10 teams featured, especially with the possibility of a Kawhi Leonard reunion. That didn’t happen, and the omission raises a question that hangs over everything: was Leonard’s pending investigation part of the reason?
No one is saying the investigation will still be active when Christmas arrives. But the bigger concern is whether any punishment Leonard receives could stretch deep enough into the season to keep him out through the holiday, or beyond it.
That’s where the timing gets interesting. With the season set to tip off on October 20 and Toronto’s first game likely falling between October 21 and 23, the Raptors would be about 25-30 games into the year by December 25 if they play around the league’s average of 13.5 games per month over the first two months.
That matters because recent NBA suspensions have often topped out around 25 games, like Paul George last season. Leonard’s case is different, though. The investigation has already dragged on for almost a year, and the seriousness of the allegations could lead to a suspension that goes beyond that range.
On paper, Toronto still looks like a natural fit for Christmas Day. Scottie Barnes gives the team an emerging young star, Leonard remains a recognizable name after finishing top-10 in MVP voting, and the Raptors reached the playoffs last season. They also have built-in history with several East contenders and other marquee teams.
There were plenty of appealing matchups to choose from. The NBA could have leaned into another LeBron-Toronto chapter, added Embiid against the Raptors, or gone with LeBron versus Kawhi.
A Miami matchup could have delivered Giannis against Kawhi and a rematch of the 2019 Conference Finals. Boston and New York also would have tapped into long-running Toronto rivalries.
Maybe this is just another case of Toronto getting left off the holiday schedule, something fans have been complaining about for years. But the timing of the Leonard situation makes this snub feel less routine than the others.
And for fans trying to connect the dots, the absence of Toronto on Christmas Day looks a little too convenient to ignore.
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