The AltRaps Blog

TheStar.com | NBA | Raptors wade into old world
“A hardship?” English said of holding training camp over here. “Not a chance.”

English knows Italy like few others connected with the team. After finishing a hall of fame career in Dallas in 1991, he spent a season playing in Napoli to satisfy some wanderlust.

“I just always wanted to experience Europe and Italy, especially,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to Rome. But Venice? Venice is special.”

The whole camp has been an exercise in nostalgia for English, who has taken part in the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program in Africa for five summers, broadening his horizons more with each trip.

“This brings back all the memories,” he said. “Food-wise, it sure does; living-wise, it does. It’s a living-easy lifestyle.”