Not Released: Basketball basket and court, overhead view (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Jay Triano was head coach of the Toronto Raptors from 2009-11, but remains important to Canada's basketball program as the national team's head coach.
He takes that ambassador role extremely seriously, and when he got wind of a family being fined for having a hoop set up in their driveway, Triano offered to pay the $250 fine that was associated with the so-called offense.
From Lauren Pelley of The Toronto Star:
"He offered to pay the fine and invited them to watch the national team practice on Tuesday at the Air Canada Centre, where Toronto-born NBA stars such as Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett will be hitting the court.
"As the Star reported last week, Joshua's mom, Lisa Roberto, was given a $250 nuisance ticket on June 25 and asked to permanently remove the basketball net. The family has since appealed the ticket."
"If I hadn't spent that time, I wouldn't have been able to play in the Olympic Games," added the two-time Olympian, who was born in Tillsonburg, raised in Niagara Falls, and is currently the assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers."
It's a nice gesture by Triano, and one that will undoubtedly continue to boost his reputation as the right man to lead Canada's basketball program into its next era of prosperity.
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