He matured so much in Toronto: morphed into a grown man here, saw his children born and his family grow.
It was a coming-of-age period for a young man and, of course, Jonas Valanciunas looks back fondly on that time for far more important reasons than just sports.
“Toronto, Canada, was my second home,” Valanciunas said Monday morning.
“I was talking with somebody from Toronto and basically remembered that this is not just basketball for me. That’s where a lot of memories of my life happened. Toronto is always going to be remembered as a big thing in my life.