The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association, as a member club 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 to become the Memphis Grizzlies in 2001, the Raptors became the only Canadian-based team in the NBA. They originally played their home games at SkyDome, before moving eastward along Bremner Boulevard to the Air Canada Centre in 1999.
Like 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 team set league-attendance records and made the NBA playoffs in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Carter was instrumental in leading the team to 47 wins and 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.
Atlantic Division
Location:
Toronto
Arena/Stadium:
Air Canada Centre
Owners:
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment
Head Coach:
Nick Nurse
Mascot:
The Raptor
Alfonzo McKinnie
Power forward
C. J. Miles
Shooting guard and Small forward
DeMar DeRozan
Shooting guard and Small forward
Delon Wright
Point guard and Shooting guard
Fred Van Vleet
Point guard
Lorenzo Brown
Point guard
Lucas Nogueira
Power forward and Center
Malachi Richardson
Shooting guard
Malcolm Miller
Power forward
Norman Powell
Shooting guard and Small forward
OG Anunoby
Power forward and Small forward
Pascal Siakam
Power forward
Serge Ibaka
Power forward and Center