A Brief History of the Toronto Raptors

A look back at the Toronto Raptors history, from their early days as an expansion team to their first NBA Championship.

The Early Years

The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member club of the league’s Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They were established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA’s expansion into Canada. When the Grizzlies relocated to Memphis, Tennessee in 2001, the Raptors became the only Canadian-based team in the NBA.

The team’s humble beginnings

The Toronto Raptors began play in 1995 as an expansion team. Their expansion draft was highlighted by the selection of future All-Star Damon Stoudamire with the seventh overall pick. In their inaugural season, the Raptors finished 21-61, good for last place in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.

The following season, under new head coach Darrell Walker, the Raptors improved to 36-46, but once again finished last in the East. In 1997-98, with a roster that included Stoudamire, second-year player Marcus Camby, and rookies Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter, the Raptors compiling a record of 16-66, setting an NBA record for fewest wins in a season.

In 1998-99, led by Stoudamire and Carter, the Raptors improved to 23-59. The 1999-2000 season was a breakout year for Carter, who emerged as one of the NBA’s top players; he was named to the All-Star team and was named the league’s Most Improved Player. The Raptors finished that season with a record of 45-37, their first winning season in franchise history.

The team’s first few seasons

The Raptors began play in the 1995–96 NBA season as part of an expansion packagewhere the league added two new teams in Southwestern Ontario, the Vancouver Grizzlies and the Raptors. The Toronto franchise was awarded to a group headed by Canadian businessman John Bitove.

Bitove originally wanted to name the team the “Hogs”, after a successful run he had promoting rock concerts featuring “swine” as part of the act, but realized that there would be too many negative connotations with the name and changed it to “Raptors”. The name “Raptor” is a common informal name for several large birds of prey, including eagles, hawks, and vultures. Their debut logo was a silver maple leaf with black and white stripes on either side of it, and set upon a basketball surrounded by purple and red raptors poised to pounce.

The team’s colours are black, purple, red, silver, and white. The original logo was created by sports artist Craig Slaunwhite. As part of an agreement between Bitove and Adidas America Inc., who also owned Reebok Canada at that time (Adidas has since purchased Reebok), Bitove licensed dozens of items bearing various renditions of their logo from Adidas Canada using Adidas’ three-stripe trademark.

The “Vinsanity” Era

The team’s rise to prominence

In the late 1990s, the Raptors enjoyed a breakout season, behind the play of star players like Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady. The team became known as “Vinsanity” for Carter’s dazzling array of dunks, and they won their first division title in 2000. The Raptors would go on to make the playoffs five times in six years during this era.

The team’s first playoff appearance

In their fifth season, the Raptors qualified for the playoffs for the first time. They finished the regular season 47–35, second in the Central Division behind the New York Knicks. In the playoffs, they defeated the Knicks in the first round in five games, with Toronto star guard Vince Carter scoring 50 points in Game 3. They then lost to the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in the second round in six games.

The Post-Vinsanity Era

The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. The team was established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA’s expansion into Canada. When the Grizzlies relocated to Memphis, Tennessee in 2001, the Raptors became the only Canadian-based team in the NBA.

The team’s rebuilding process

In the 2006 off-season, the Raptors exchanged longtime fan favourite guard/forward Vince Carter to the New Jersey Nets for Alonzo Mourning, Aaron Williams, Eric Williams and two future first-round draft picks. After the trade, Raptors President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo began a rebuilding process with the stated goal of making the team into a contender within 3 to 5 years. The Raptors aquired several young players and draft picks between 2006 and 2008

The team’s return to the playoffs

In the 2006–07 season, the Raptors returned to the playoffs for the first time in five years. They clinched the Atlantic Division title on the last day of the regular season with a 106–96 win over the New York Knicks, and finished with a 47–35 record. In the first round of the playoffs, they faced off against their divisional rivals, the New Jersey Nets. The Raptors lost Game 1 at home 97–83, but won Game 2 92–87 to even up the series. The Nets went on to win three straight games, giving them a 3–1 series lead. The Raptors’ slim chances of winning were further dashed when Chris Bosh was forced to miss Game 5 due to an ankle injury. The Nets went on to win 96–91, eliminating Toronto from the playoffs.