The Toronto Raptors are an American professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Raptors compete in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the NBA. Founded in 1995, the team was a part of the NBA’s efforts to expand into Canada. Since the Vancouver Grizzlies moved to Memphis in 2001, the Raptors have been the only Canadian team. The Raptors struggled during their first few seasons in the league but found success beginning in the 1999-2000 season and making the playoffs the next three seasons. The team has won six division titles (including consecutive titles from 2014-2016 and 2018-2019) and one NBA Championship which came in 2019.

The Raptors play their home games at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario. Instrumental to their early 2000s franchise success was shooting guard Vince Carter. Carter, nicknamed “Vinsanity,” helped the Raptors not only win games but also set league attendance records. Before he was traded to the New Jersey Nets in 2004, Carter helped lead the team to three playoff appearances and famously won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in a landslide in 2000. Before the start of the 2018-2019 NBA season, the Raptors traded for small forward Kawhi Leonard. This proved to be one of the best trades in NBA history because it helped the Raptors win their first ever NBA Championship when they defeated the Golden State Warriors in 2019.