49 Fun Facts About Toronto Raptors

Which defunct Toronto team hosted the Knickerbockers in the NBA's first game in 1946?

The Huskies folded after one season; the Raptors wear their blue-and-white kit on throwback 'Huskies Nights'.

With which other Canadian expansion team did the Raptors join the NBA in 1995?

The Grizzlies moved to Memphis in 2001, leaving Toronto as the league's only Canadian franchise.

What was the then-record expansion fee paid for the Raptors franchise in 1993?

The Raptors paid a then-record US$125m expansion fee; John Bitove's group won the league's 28th franchise, and Ontario's Pro-Line lottery had to drop NBA games as part of the deal.

Why did the Raptors not revive the name of Toronto's 1946 BAA team in 1994?

Minnesota's wolf logo made a husky design impossible to distinguish, so the contest was held instead.

Which Hall of Fame point guard was the Raptors' first general manager?

Isiah Thomas, the Pistons great, ran Toronto's basketball operations from 1994 with an option to buy a stake in the team; he resigned in November 1997.

Which uniform colour was chosen to honour the Canadian inventor of basketball?

The shade was branded 'Naismith' silver after James Naismith, the Ontario-born inventor of basketball; it joined bright red, purple and black in the original 1995 scheme.

Which point guard, booed by fans on draft night in 1995, went on to win Rookie of the Year for Toronto?

Damon Stoudamire, nicknamed 'Mighty Mouse', averaged 19 points and 9.3 assists as a rookie; the draft-night crowd had wanted UCLA's Ed O'Bannon.

Who was the Raptors' first pick in the 1995 expansion draft, only to refuse to report?

B. J. Armstrong, the Bulls' sharpshooting guard, never played for Toronto; he was traded to Golden State for Carlos Rogers, Victor Alexander and other pieces.

Where did the Raptors play their first four seasons before the Air Canada Centre opened?

SkyDome, the cavernous baseball stadium, was the Raptors' home from 1995 until the Air Canada Centre opened in February 1999; it was renamed Rogers Centre in 2005.

Vince Carter came to Toronto in a 1998 draft-day trade for which fourth overall pick?

Antawn Jamison went fourth to Toronto and was swapped for Vince Carter, taken fifth by Golden State; the two had been teammates at North Carolina.

Vince Carter's Game 7 miss against Philadelphia in 2001 came hours after he did what that morning?

Carter attended his University of North Carolina graduation in Chapel Hill that morning, then shot 6-for-18 in the Game 7 loss; the trip was widely criticised.

In 2004 the Raptors traded Vince Carter to which team?

He was booed on every return for years; the deal launched a Nets–Raptors rivalry that reached the playoffs in 2007 and 2014.

Which future Hall of Famer did the Raptors draft fourth overall in 2003?

Chris Bosh went fourth in 2003, one pick after Carmelo Anthony; he made five All-Star teams in Toronto before leaving as a free agent in 2010.

Who was the Raptors' 2006 first overall pick, the first European ever taken number one?

Andrea Bargnani, an Italian forward from Benetton Treviso, went first overall in 2006; Toronto traded him to the Knicks in 2013.

Which GM, hired in 2013, built the Raptors team that won the 2019 NBA title?

Masai Ujiri, born in England to Nigerian and Kenyan parents, had scouted for Orlando and Denver before taking over Toronto's front office in 2013.

Lowry arrived from Houston in 2012 after which free agent picked the Lakers over Toronto?

Steve Nash chose the Lakers in July 2012; days later Toronto sent Houston a future first-round pick for Kyle Lowry, who became a six-time All-Star with the Raptors.

Which point total set the Raptors' single-game scoring record against Milwaukee in January 2018?

The 52-point night on New Year's Day 2018 beat the 51 that Vince Carter and Terrence Ross had each scored for Toronto.

Which award did the Raptors' freshly fired bench boss collect in June 2018?

The coach was fired on 11 May 2018 after a second straight playoff sweep by LeBron's Cavaliers, then collected the NBA Coach of the Year award in June.

Whom did the Raptors trade to San Antonio in July 2018 for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green?

Jakob Pöltl and a protected first went too; DeRozan felt betrayed after being assured he would stay.

Kawhi Leonard's 15-footer to beat Philadelphia 92–90 in 2019 was the first what in NBA playoff history?

The corner jumper bounced four times on the rim before dropping at the horn, the first buzzer-beater ever to decide a Game 7 in NBA playoff history; Toronto won 92–90.

The Raptors trailed which team 0–2 in the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals before winning four straight?

Toronto lost the first two games in Milwaukee, then beat the Bucks four straight times for the franchise's first conference title and first Finals appearance.

Who did the Raptors beat 4–2 in the 2019 NBA Finals for their first championship?

The Golden State Warriors, two-time defending champions, fell in six games; Stephen Curry's father Dell had played three seasons for Toronto, and Kawhi Leonard was Finals MVP.

Kawhi Leonard left Toronto after one season to sign with which team?

Leonard signed with the Los Angeles Clippers in July 2019, joining Paul George; the fear that he was a one-year rental had hung over the whole championship season.

Pascal Siakam won which award in 2019, the first man to pair it with an NBA title in the same season?

Pascal Siakam, the 27th pick in 2016, won Most Improved Player in 2019 after jumping to 16.9 points a game; he was traded to Indiana in January 2024.

Fred VanVleet, who went undrafted in 2016 and started for the 2019 champions, played college ball where?

Fred VanVleet ran the point for Wichita State, reaching the 2013 Final Four; his 'Bet on Yourself' mantra paid off with an $85 million deal in 2020, then a record for an undrafted player.

Where did the Raptors play their 'home' games during the 2020–21 season?

Canadian border restrictions during the pandemic forced them to Amalie Arena; they returned to Scotiabank Arena in September 2021.

Which Florida State forward, drafted fourth overall in 2021, was the 2022 NBA Rookie of the Year?

Scottie Barnes beat Evan Mobley for the 2022 Rookie of the Year and made his first All-Star team in 2024, becoming the face of the franchise after Siakam's departure.

Which former Grizzlies assistant replaced Nick Nurse as head coach in June 2023?

Darko Rajaković, a Serbian who had been an assistant in Memphis, took over in June 2023 after Nurse and his staff were fired following a play-in loss to Chicago.

Which forward did the Raptors get from New Orleans in February 2025 for Olynyk, Bruce Brown and a first-round pick?

Brandon Ingram, the 2020 All-Star, came from the Pelicans for Kelly Olynyk, Bruce Brown and draft picks, then signed a three-year extension with Toronto.

Which centre did the Raptors acquire from Memphis at the 2019 trade deadline?

Marc Gasol, the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year, arrived from Memphis on 7 February 2019 and started every Finals game of the championship run.

Which Toronto rapper's OVO Sound label inspired an alternate Raptors road uniform?

Drake, named the team's global ambassador in 2013, inspired the black-and-gold OVO alternate uniform; the 'Welcome Toronto' program and jerseys were also tied to him.

Which slogan did the Raptors launch for their 2014 playoff run?

'We The North' launched as an ad campaign for the 2014 playoff run and became the franchise's rallying cry, later printed on a jock tag at the jersey hem.

Which company bought the Raptors and their unfinished arena in February 1998 for $467 million?

The owners of the Maple Leafs paid $179 million for the team and $288 million for the arena.

Vince Carter's win in which 2000 event turned casual Torontonians into basketball fans?

Carter's 2000 NBA Slam Dunk Contest win in Oakland, with his 360 windmill and elbow-in-the-rim dunk, sparked 'Vinsanity'; the Raptors made three straight playoff trips from 2000.

Who scored the first points in Raptors history in a 94–79 win over the Nets on November 3, 1995?

Alvin Robertson, the veteran guard, hit a three-pointer for the first points in franchise history; the team finished 21–61 but beat the 72–10 Bulls that March.

Which 18-year-old, then the NBA's youngest player, was on the 1997–98 Raptors before starring in Orlando and Houston?

Tracy McGrady, taken ninth in 1997 straight from high school, was just 18 when that 16–66 season began; he later starred for Orlando and Houston.

Which veteran did the Raptors get from the Knicks in 1998 for Marcus Camby to add playoff experience?

Charles Oakley, the Knicks' bruising forward, came with Sean Marks for Marcus Camby in June 1998 and anchored Butch Carter's first playoff team in 2000.

The Raptors' franchise player left in 2010 to join LeBron James and Dwyane Wade on which team?

The All-Star forward joined the Miami Heat in a sign-and-trade that brought Toronto two first-round picks; his returns to Toronto were booed for years.

Which coach, hired from Dallas in 2011, won four division titles before his 2018 firing?

Dwane Casey went 320–238 over seven seasons in Toronto, including a then-franchise-record 59 wins in 2017–18, before being fired in May 2018.

How many different players had been Raptors All-Stars by the end of the 2024-25 season?

Nine: Vince Carter, Antonio Davis, Kyle Lowry, Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet, plus the 2003 fourth pick, the four-time All-Star traded for Leonard, and the 2022 Rookie of the Year.

Nick Nurse won the league's top coaching award in 2020 after the Raptors posted what?

It came the season after Leonard left, with Siakam making All-NBA second team; OG Anunoby's buzzer-beater followed against Boston in the bubble.

Which long-time Detroit Pistons assistant was named the Raptors' first head coach?

Brendan Malone, a Pistons assistant through the 'Bad Boys' title years, coached the inaugural 1995–96 team to 21 wins and was let go after one season.

Which Hall of Fame coach replaced Butch Carter on the Raptors bench before the 2000-01 season?

Lenny Wilkens, then the NBA's all-time wins leader, took over in June 2000 and coached Toronto to its first playoff series win in 2001.

Which former NBA MVP centre did the Raptors sign in the summer of 2001 to support Vince Carter?

The plan unravelled when Carter's jumper's knee ended his season and Toronto lost 13 straight before rallying into the playoffs.

Which Raptors rookie scored 48 points against Milwaukee in 2005-06, a franchise rookie record?

Charlie Villanueva, the 2005 seventh pick whose selection was widely mocked, scored 48 against Milwaukee on 26 March 2006 and finished second to Chris Paul in Rookie of the Year voting.

The Raptors' G League affiliate, Raptors 905, takes its number from what?

905 is the telephone area code for Mississauga and the suburbs ringing Toronto; the affiliate was announced in June 2015 and began play that autumn at the Hershey Centre.

Which coach led the Raptors to their first Atlantic Division title in 2006–07?

Sam Mitchell coached the 2006–07 Raptors to a 47–35 record and the franchise's first division title, earning the league's top coaching award that spring.

Which executive, fresh from building Phoenix into a 62-win team, became Raptors GM in February 2006?

Bryan Colangelo, the 2004–05 NBA Executive of the Year, left the Suns in February 2006 and overhauled the roster for Toronto's first division title in 2006–07.

Which Lithuanian centre did the Raptors draft fifth overall in 2011?

Jonas Valančiūnas, the fifth pick in 2011, stayed with Lietuvos rytas for a season before joining Toronto in 2012; he made the All-Rookie first team in 2013.