TORONTO, Feb 12 (Reuters) - The NBA got a frosty welcome as it brought its All-Star Game north to Canada for the first time where fans and players were greeted by an Arctic blast on Friday but a forecast for plenty of heat over a party packed weekend.
Mother Nature and the host Toronto Raptors provided the stereotypical bone-chilling Canadian winter weather as A-list celebrities, industry kingpins and the world's best basketball players, including LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Stephen Curry took over the frost-bitten city.
"It's cold; it's really, really cold. Really cold," shivered Los Angeles Lakers great Bryant, who arrived for Media Day on Friday with a toque pulled down snuggly over his head.