NBA franchise story

Toronto Raptors

Toronto grew from expansion curiosity into a national institution through Vince Carter, Chris Bosh, the Lowry–DeRozan continuity and the bold Kawhi Leonard trade that delivered a title.

Every era · The defining players · Five essential games

The franchise timeline

Every era of the Toronto Raptors.

Move through the franchise chronologically. The jerseys identify each chapter’s central cast, and every curated card opens the complete story of that era.

Historical reference: Toronto Raptors official team history ↗

The beginning

Franchise era

1995–96—1997–98

Damon Stoudamire

Doug Christie

Marcus Camby

Basketball takes root in Canada

The expansion Raptors

Stoudamire gave the new franchise immediate credibility as it built an audience and navigated its early roster.

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Chapter 01

1995–96—1997–98

Franchise era

1998–99—2003–04

Vince Carter

Antonio Davis

Morris Peterson

Carter puts Toronto on the basketball map

Vinsanity

Carter's aerial brilliance transformed the Raptors into a global attraction and brought them within one shot of the 2001 conference finals.

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Chapter 02

1998–99—2003–04

Franchise era

2004–05—2009–10

Chris Bosh

José Calderón

Andrea Bargnani

An All-Star big man leads an uneven rebuild

The Bosh years

Bosh developed into a franchise star and led two playoff teams, but Toronto never found enough stability around him.

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Chapter 03

2004–05—2009–10

Franchise era

2010–11—2012–13

DeMar DeRozan

Kyle Lowry

Amir Johnson

DeRozan develops; Lowry arrives

Building the next backcourt

A brief reset assembled the guard partnership that would create the most sustained success in team history.

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Chapter 04

2010–11—2012–13

Franchise era

2013–14—2017–18

Kyle Lowry

DeMar DeRozan

Jonas Valančiūnas

Lowry and DeRozan make winning routine

We the North

Toronto won five straight 48-plus-win seasons and reached the 2016 conference finals, even as LeBron repeatedly ended its postseason.

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Chapter 05

2013–14—2017–18

Franchise era

2018–19—2019–20

Kawhi Leonard

Kyle Lowry

Pascal Siakam

One fearless trade delivers the title

The championship bet

Toronto traded a beloved star for Leonard and was rewarded with the 2019 championship, then defended the title proudly after his departure.

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Chapter 06

2018–19—2019–20

Franchise era

2020–21—present

Scottie Barnes

Pascal Siakam

Fred VanVleet

A new point forward anchors the reset

The Barnes rebuild

The Tampa season disrupted the old core, and Barnes's arrival eventually became the foundation for a younger, more flexible roster.

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Chapter 07

2020–21—present

Present day

The essential watchlist

Five Toronto Raptors games to start with.

Curated from the franchise’s defining eras, championship stakes and the games that still carry its story.

#01 · Conference Semifinals

Conference Semifinals

Raptors vs 76ers

May 12, 2019

#02 · NBA Finals

Raptors vs Warriors

Jun 13, 2019

#03 · Regular Season

Lakers vs Raptors

Jan 22, 2006

#04 · Eastern Conference Finals

Eastern ConferenceFinals

Bucks vs Raptors

May 25, 2019

#05 · Regular Season

Regular Season

2020

TORONTORAPTORS

MINNESOTATIMBERWOLVES

FEB 19, 2021

Raptors vs Timberwolves

Feb 19, 2021

Season history

Past seasons

31 seasons · newest first

Game archive

Toronto Raptors games

2,604 total · loaded 10 at a time