Raj Guman came to San Francisco alone to watch the Toronto Raptors take on the Golden State Warriors in their first-ever appearance in the NBA Finals — but he was rarely on his own the entire trip.

“You good, man?” Guman said to fellow fan Sameer Mawani, as he greeted him with a bear hug. “Let’s go Raptors!”

The two had never met before that moment, on the morning of Game 4 at Pier 39 on Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco.

Instead, they connected through a big chat group of Toronto-based Raptors fans heading to the Golden State for the Finals.

“It really started with just three or four of us and then, from there, it just started growing and growing and growing,” said Guman who started the Whatsapp group.

“People would meet people on a plane and get added to the group, walking down the street… people would get added to the group. Right now it’s at 40 or 50 people,” said Guman. “And people are still being added to the group.”

Mawani said he’s already seen the hospitality of his fellow Canadians flying into enemy territory.

“Just a whole bunch of people added me [onto the group], they knew I was coming down. Everyone was super supportive, they were like, ‘Sam, do you have a place to stay? Do whatever you need to,’” said Mawani.

The two Raptors fans who had just met were joined by Ravi Jain and Brittany Thompson to take a tour of the popular San Francisco pier.

“Many in the group chat have been meeting up at different parts of the city to see the sights and sounds of San Francisco,” said Guman. “It’s us being Canadian; we have this sense of togetherness.

“We are known to be the loudest fans anywhere, but we’re also known to be the most travelled fans everywhere.”

As if right on cue, a couple wearing Raptors jerseys walk up the pier, the team’s logo acting as a beacon between the fans.

Guman’s new group of friends immediately spots the pair and approaches them with hugs and greeting calls of, “Let’s go Raptors!”

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