Toronto Raptors

Toronto Raptors
2023–24 Toronto Raptors season
Toronto Raptors logo
ConferenceEastern
DivisionAtlantic
Founded1995[1]
HistoryToronto Raptors
1995–present[2][3]
ArenaScotiabank Arena
LocationToronto, Ontario
Team coloursRed, black, purple, gold, white[4][5][6]
         
Main sponsorSun Life Financial[7]
PresidentMasai Ujiri
General managerBobby Webster
Head coachDarko Rajaković
OwnershipMaple Leaf Sports & Entertainment[8]
Affiliation(s)Raptors 905
Championships1 (2019)
Conference titles1 (2019)
Division titles7 (2007, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020)
Websitewww.nba.com/raptors
Association jersey
Team colours
Association
Icon jersey
Team colours
Icon
Statement jersey
Team colours
Statement
City jersey
Team colours
City

The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at Scotiabank Arena, which it shares with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team was founded in 1995 as part of the NBA's expansion into Canada, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies. Since the 2001–02 season, the Raptors have been the only Canadian-based team in the league, as the Grizzlies relocated from Vancouver to Memphis, Tennessee.

As with most expansion teams, the Raptors struggled in their early years, but after the acquisition of Vince Carter through a draft-day trade in 1998, the franchise set league-attendance records and made the NBA playoffs in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Carter was instrumental in leading the team to their first playoff series win in 2001, where they advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals. During the 2002–03 and 2003–04 seasons, they failed to make significant progress, and Carter was traded in 2004 to the New Jersey Nets.

After Carter left, Chris Bosh emerged as the team leader. For the 2006–07 season, Bryan Colangelo was appointed as general manager, and through a combination of Bosh, 2006 first overall draft pick Andrea Bargnani, and a revamp of the roster, the Raptors qualified for their first playoff berth in five years, capturing the Atlantic Division title. In the 2007–08 season, they also advanced to the playoffs but failed to reach the postseason in each of the next five seasons. Colangelo overhauled the team's roster for the 2009–10 season in a bid to persuade pending free agent Bosh to stay, but Bosh departed to sign with the Miami Heat in July 2010, ushering in yet another era of rebuilding for the Raptors.

Masai Ujiri replaced Colangelo in 2013 and helped herald a new era of success, led by a backcourt duo of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry. The Raptors returned to the playoffs the following year and became a consistent playoff team in every year of Ujiri's tenure. Under Ujiri, the team also won five Division titles and registered their most successful regular season in 2018. However, the team's failure to reach the NBA Finals prompted Ujiri to fire head coach Dwane Casey after the 2018 playoffs concluded and to trade DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green later that summer, as well as to acquire Marc Gasol before the trade deadline. Toronto also saw the breakout of Pascal Siakam, the 27th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft, who won the NBA Most Improved Player that year. In the 2019 playoffs, the Raptors won their first Eastern Conference title and advanced to their first NBA Finals, where they won their first NBA championship.

After the Raptors won their first championship, Leonard left in free agency. After Lowry's departure in 2021, Siakam became the face of the franchise until 2024 when Siakam was traded to the Indiana Pacers. Scottie Barnes became the new face of the franchise since then.

  1. ^ "Laying the Groundwork for the NBA in Toronto". Raptors.com. NBA Media Ventures. August 26, 2020. Archived from the original on May 30, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  2. ^ "NBA.com/Stats–Toronto Raptors seasons". NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  3. ^ "Toronto Raptors: year-by-year record" (PDF). 2019-20 Official NBA Guide (PDF). NBA Properties. 2019. p. 141. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 26, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  4. ^ Jamshidi, Soheil (October 15, 2020). "Raptors Unveil New Uniforms". Raptors.com. NBA Media Ventures. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  5. ^ "Raptors unveil 3 new uniforms for 2020-21 season". NBA.com (Press release). NBA Media Ventures. October 15, 2020. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  6. ^ "Toronto Raptors Reproduction and Usage Guideline Sheet". NBA Properties, Inc. Archived from the original on July 11, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  7. ^ "Toronto Raptors and Sun Life Financial Announce Ground-Breaking, Expanded Partnership". Raptors.com (Press release). NBA Media Ventures. July 6, 2017. Archived from the original on June 8, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  8. ^ "Management". Raptors.com. NBA Media Ventures. Archived from the original on June 20, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2017.