Canada’s sole team in the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Toronto Raptors, is considered one of the NBA’s youngest teams. As of this upcoming NBA season, it will be the 30th season for the franchise. I’ve been watching this team for over a decade, and I’ve seen the highs and the lows (mostly lows, unfortunately). Today, I wanted to give a recap of the franchise’s history from their beginnings to modern day.
The Dinos Are Born (1995-2004)
The Toronto Raptors were founded in 1995 as part of the NBA’s expansion into Canada along with the Vancouver Grizzlies (now named the Memphis Grizzlies). The name was heavily based on the 1993 hit film Jurassic Park, which influenced the “velociraptor” name. In the first few years, the team was not very good, continuously finishing at the bottom of the standings. That all changed in the 1998 NBA draft, when the Raptors drafted a 6’6 guard/forward from North Carolina named Vince Carter, who ultimately put Toronto on the map for basketball.
Carter was an athletic wing who could score at will at any area on the court, including shooting and finishing at the rim. He led the Raptors to their first ever playoff appearance in 2000 and their first playoff series win the year after that. However, he was never surrounded with much talent over the years and a lack of success led him to eventually ask out of Toronto. Many fans who once adored him were furious at this decision, and in 2004, Carter was traded to the New Jersey Nets, which jump started a rebuild for the Raptors.
Zone of Mediocrity (2004-2013)
After Carter left, the Raptors were in mediocrity. They never really seemed to be taken seriously as a franchise. From 2004 to 2013, Toronto only made it to the playoffs twice in which they never won a playoff series. There were some notably great players such as power forward Chris Bosh, who was a left-handed 20 point per game scorer who could dominate near the basket and Spaniard point guard José Calderon, who was an above average playmaker, 3-point shooter, and a fan-favourite in Toronto.
In fact, many Raptor fans would know more about the memes and/or odd commercials on TV. It was really rough to watch. No free agent wanted to come to Toronto because Canada seemed boring compared to living in America. However, in 2009, there was hope that the franchise could turn itself around as they drafted a shooting guard from California named DeMar DeRozan. He was best known as an athletic guard with an impeccable mid-range jumpshot. Although he didn’t break out immediately, his rise towards being an NBA star would soon come closer than people thought.
In Masai We Trust (2014-2023)
In 2013, the Raptors would acquire Masai Ujiri as their new executive vice president and general manager. Ujiri, who was the executive of the year in 2013, made it his mission to revamp this Raptors team to where they can compete for years. He was able to finesse multiple teams by trading players with overpaid contracts, which allowed DeRozan to thrive as the team’s best player. Playing alongside him was a bulky, 6 foot point guard named Kyle Lowry. Although he joined the team under the previous president before Ujiri, Lowry blossomed into an elite playmaker when Ujiri began running the team. Under Lowry, DeRozan, and a bunch of key role players to whom the team drafted and/or traded for, the Raptors made it back to the playoffs in 2014, ending a six-year drought at the time.
The team would get further developed through the NBA draft, as Toronto would be able to select various raw but intriguing players who would make up the fierce roster the Raptors would have in the 2010’s. Players such as Cameroonian athletic forward Pascal Siakam, British defensive wing OG Anunoby, and an undrafted point guard named Fred Vanvleet made up the young players Toronto successfully developed into well equipped players in the league.
However, Toronto would still have trouble in the playoffs. Despite reaching their first conference finals in 2016, the Raptors would continuously fall short to the Cleveland Cavaliers and specifically LeBron James, one of the greatest NBA players of all time. As a result of failing to reach the championship, Ujiri made some risky moves, as he traded players such as DeMar DeRozan and well-known centre Jonas Valanciunas and in return received three key players: Danny Green, a serviceable 3-point shooter, Marc Gasol, a 7 foot Spanish centre with great playmaking and defensive instincts, and Kawhi Leonard, a long, athletic small forward who is both an elite defender and scorer.
Leonard was seen as a risk by many as he was coming off an injury-riddled season and he had one more year on his contract. Hence, he could leave the Raptors after the season he played. Nonetheless, Toronto’s roster led by Leonard, Lowry, and various role players that I have or have not mentioned ended up playing well with one another, resulting in them winning their first ever championship in 2019. I remember the streets of downtown Toronto that day. Good times.
However, after this glorious peak, Leonard still left the team to go play for the Los Angeles Clippers, which was located in his home state of California. And eventually, the team’s main players started leaving, whether due to retirement, trades, or signing with other teams.
The New Look Team (2023 – present)
Now, the team is back to where it started: the bottom of the barrel. As of the making of this article, Toronto sits with the worst record in the league at 2-10. However, the team looks very promising with their young assets including players like power forward Scottie Barnes, swingman RJ Barrett, and shooting guard Gradey Dick (yes, that’s his last name). Toronto hopes to contend for a high draft pick in 2025 to acquire an up and coming forward from Duke University named Cooper Flagg, who is projected to be the next future NBA superstar. In the meantime, I will just watch this team grow and develop into hopefully another playoff team in the next few years.
To sum up, that’s the history of the Toronto Raptors. A team filled with many ups and downs but a fanbase who has grown tremendously due to great players and a championship in 2019. Even though they’re Canada’s only NBA team, the entire country will stand by the team through whatever it is up against.
Image Citation:
[1] Toronto Raptors, Toronto Raptors’ 30th Anniversary Logo. Toronto Raptors, 2024.
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