History of the Toronto Raptors

The Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They were founded in 1995 as part of the NBA's expansion into Canada. The team's name was inspired by the popularity of the Jurassic Park films, which were set in Toronto.

The Raptors' first season was in 1995-1996, and they struggled in their early years, failing to make the playoffs until the 2000-2001 season. They were led by Vince Carter, who was considered one of the best players in the league during his time with the team. However, Carter was traded away in 2004, and the team struggled in the following years.

In the 2006-2007 season, the Raptors drafted Andrea Bargnani with the first overall pick. He was considered a bust and was traded away in 2013. The Raptors continued to struggle and missed the playoffs for five consecutive seasons from 2007-2012.

In 2012-2013, the Raptors hired Masai Ujiri as the team's new general manager. Ujiri made several key moves, such as trading for Rudy Gay and drafting Terrence Ross, which helped the team make the playoffs for the first time in five years. The team continued to improve under Ujiri's leadership, and in 2013-2014, they won the Atlantic Division for the first time in team history.

In the 2014-2015 season, the Raptors won the Atlantic Division for the second consecutive year and set a franchise record for regular season wins with 49. They made it to the Conference Finals for the first time in team history, but lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In the 2015-2016 season, the Raptors traded for all-star power forward Serge Ibaka and made it to the Conference Finals again, but lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The following season, in 2016-2017, the team finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference and made it to the NBA Finals for the first time in team history, but lost to the Golden State Warriors.

In 2018, Ujiri traded for Kawhi Leonard, a star forward who had been named the Finals MVP in 2014, and Danny Green. The team made it to the NBA finals for the second time in franchise history, this time winning the championship against the Golden State Warriors, making them the first Canadian team to win the championship. Leonard was named the Finals MVP.