Sporting the best record in the NBA’s Eastern Conference, the Toronto Raptors have charged to the top of the standings on the strength of truly inspired team basketball. Mariners Jerseys 2020 . In the hours before arguably their toughest test yet against LeBron James and the new-look Cleveland Cavaliers at the ACC on Friday night, the organization took time to pay tribute to Nelson Mandela, the personal inspiration of the man at the helm, Raptors General Manager Masai Ujiri. Marking the first anniversary of Mandela’s passing, The Giant of Africa presented by Bell was a pre-game celebration of the late former South African President and Nobel Peace Prize winner. Funds raised by the event will support both the Nelson Mandela Foundation and Giants of Africa, a not-for-profit organization founded by Ujiri in 2003 to continue to educate and enrich the lives of African youth. As he stepped to the front of the packed house gathered in the teams transformed upper level practice court (which had been rapidly transformed into a red carpet event space for the occasion), the first African-born General Manager in NBA history promised to refrain from firing up the crowd in advance of the impending game, recounting instead the way that meeting Mandela changed his life. Ujiri went on to share his personal reflections on Mandelas legacy, saying, I dont know where the world is going, but Mandela made the world a better place. And even though hes passed, he is going to continue to grow. Through whether it was poverty, diseases, or injustice, Nelson Mandela is a man that stood for us, and the world needs that. The world deserves that. Courtesy: Giants of Africa Twitter The GMs address was a prelude to a panel discussion moderated by TSN’s James Duthie featuring the evenings celebrity guests: a trio of NBA legends in Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, and Dikembe Mutombo, along with UN Goodwill Ambassador and 1999 Miss Universe winner Mpule Kwelagobe. Much of the panel discussion revolved around the guests personal memories of meeting Mandela, as well as his lifelong determination to create hope and encourage global harmony. Courtesy: Giants of Africa Twitter For me it was a dream come true to meet someone who lifted the world up, taught us so much, inspired me to do what I do every day: look after my people on the continent of Africa. I learned all those lessons from this great man, said Mutombo. It was a group of 14 of us, we had many NBA officials there, and the person he called the name of was Mutombo!!! The NBA legends also touched on the Raptors remarkable run so far this season. After Barkley complimented Toronto, calling the city a clean New York, Johnson commended the team for being a reflection of the tenacity of their GM, and built the case for the Raptors to find success going forward. Theyre a real team, and all they have to do now is build on what happened last season in the playoffs. You always have to gauge yourself on the best, you use that as a barometer to [measure], Okay, where are we against Cleveland, Chicago, Washington? And, Johnson added to the roar of the crowd, the fan base is crazy. That arena last year in the playoffs was one of the loudest arenas Ive ever seen. Other notable guests at the event included Raptors alumnus Tracy McGrady, Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Jonathan Bernier, Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan, TIFF Artistic Director Cameron Bailey, Toronto Argos legend Michael “Pinball” Clemons, NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum, and Amadou Fall, Vice President of NBA Africa. Courtesy: Toronto Raptors Twitter In conjunction with the evening’s theme, limited edition The Giant of Africa t-shirts were sold by the Toronto Raptors Store powered by Real Sports Apparel, with proceeds supporting Giants of Africa. The shirts display messages inspired by Mandela’s five pillars: being a leader, fighting for freedom, creating a better future, committing to the community, and using sport to inspire change. Wholesale Mariners Jerseys . MLB.com reported that the Dodgers locked the left-hander in for one year at $10 million with up to $4 million in incentives. Cheap Mariners Jerseys . He was 26. Edwards, the Supercup Championship leader, was in the passenger seat as an instructor for a private training session at Queensland Raceway at Willowbank, outside Brisbane, Porsche Motorsport said. https://www.cheapmariners.com/ .C. - Blair Jones scored the eventual winner in the third period as the Abbotsford Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Oil Barons 3-2 in American Hockey League action on Friday. FRANKFURT, Germany -- Hoffenheim scored three goals in quick succession late in the first half to beat Wolfsburg 6-2 in the Bundesliga on Sunday and dent its hopes of qualifying for the Champions League. In the late match, Alexander Meier scored in the 89th minute to give Eintracht Frankfurt a 2-1 comeback victory over Stuttgart, which fell to its eighth consecutive defeat and is now one place above the danger zone. Hoffenheim is the third highest scoring team in the Bundesliga after Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund and it took only four minutes for Roberto Firmino to put the host side ahead with a perfectly weighted lob. Bas Dost equalized for Wolfsburg in the 15th with a header. Niklas Suele began the three-goal flurry with a header in the 37th. Anthony Modeste then scored twice, with a low shot in the 39th and a header in the 43rd. Ivan Perisic pulled one back for Wolfsburg, before the home side struck twice more. Sejad Salihovic converted a penalty and Sven Schipplock completed the win. Wolfsburg finished with 10 men, after Christian Traesch was sent off in the 80th for a foul on Kevin Vollland that resulted in the penalty. Custom Seattle Mariners Jerseys. Hoffenheim, undefeated in five games, ended Wolfsburgs run of four consecutive wins and prevented the visiting team from overtaking fourth-place Schalke. Wolfsburg remained fifth and Hoffenheim 10th. In Frankfurt, Stuttgart went ahead in the 31st minute after Eintracht lost possession in midfield. Alexandru Maxim found Martin Harnik on the left and the midfielder slotted low inside the near post. Stuttgarts goalkeeper Sven Ulreich went on to make several outstanding saves, including a one-handed tip-away from a header by Stefan Aigner. But it was his kick-in that resulted in Frankfurts equalizer in the 80th through substitute striker Jan Rosenthal. Marco Russ headed the ball from the centre circle back into Stuttgarts half and Rosenthal raced through to slot past Ulreich. Eintracht secured the win in the 89th when Johannes Flum slipped the ball through the legs of Georg Niedermeier and squared it back for Meier, who drove it home with a low shot. Eintracht jumped to 12th place and is six points away from the relegation playoff place. ' ' '