- Home court: Scotiabank Arena
- G.M. Bobby Webster
- Coach: Nick Nurse
- Star: PF Pascal Siakam
- 2021 Season: 48-34, lost to the 76ers in six games in an Eastern Conference first-round series.
- NBA Titles: 2019
- Greatest Player: PG Kyle Lowry
- Factoid: Toronto actually was the site the first game in NBA history when the Toronto Huskies hosted the Knicks on Nov. 1, 1946 in a Basketball Association of America game, which the NBA was previously known.
We The North.
We, the slighted. We, the overlooked. We, the only NBA franchise not located in the United States.
We get the worst officials. We get the worse schedule. We don’t get marquee games. We don’t have players honored as they should, if they played for an American-based franchise. We don’t get some free agents because of Canada’s high tax rate.
We get screwed.
Up until 2019, the Toronto Raptors took all this to heart. They were the bastard stepchild of the NBA and they were made to feel like it with every perceived slight. But in 2019, led by Kawhi Leonard at his best, and fueled by Kyle Lowry at his most competitive, the Raptors won their first NBA title.
It's unknown if the Larry O’Brien Trophy was forced to go through customs but Raptors fans wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if that happened. Only now, it doesn’t matter.
Because for one season, for one glorious season, the NBA had no choice but to turn its gaze North and appreciate the Raptors fanatic fans, the team’s gritty greatness, the international diversity of the city of Toronto, and the best damn national anthem in the NBA.
Oh Canada! You bet!
Don’t be mistaken. It’s not as if that one title has sated the city or the nation. Not everyone is back to watching hockey 24/7. Quite the opposite. The Raptors sell out.
Toronto has learned it can win it all. It’s learned how to it: Draft wisely, develop players, don’t worry about being outcasts, play with a Canadian chip.
Heck, Raptors attend Maple Leafs games and vice versa. Basketball will never be the national sport and the Raptors will always exist in an NBA vacuum. But there’s an NBA championship trophy in the Raptors’ headquarters.
The Nets, Hornets, Nuggets, Pacers, Clippers, Grizzlies, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Suns, Magic and Jazz can’t say that.