Toronto Raptors Articles - Page 75

The Toronto Raptors’ incredible tribute video to Kawhi Leonard shows how beloved he is in the North. However, fans curious about his championship ring with the Raps will be quite surprised to find a middle-finger emoji engraved on it. Fans who love drama will immediately assume that this is the team’s subtle jab at the […]

Every year, prospects slip under the cracks. Whether they’re undersized, lack specific skills or didn’t produce enough in college, there are always prospects that get selected late in the draft that later on turn out to vastly outplay their draft position. Since 1989, the NBA Draft has consisted of two rounds. Before that, there were […]

Kawhi Leonard wasn’t the only Los Angeles Clipper to receive a video tribute during Wednesday’s game versus the Toronto Raptors. Lou Williams also got a showing from the folks at the Scotiabank Arena, who gave their thanks to Williams via this package: https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1204929840761036800 Despite Williams having spent just one season with the Raptors, he won […]

Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard made his return to Toronto on Wednesday night, the first time that he has played a game in the building since having led the franchise to the NBA championship last season. During the pre-game ceremonies, the folks at the Scotiabank Arena decided to retrace Leonard’s steps from his Game […]

Despite playing just one year with the Toronto Raptors, Kawhi Leonard’s impact on the franchise will never be forgotten. In July of 2018, Leonard — then a San Antonio Spur — was traded to the Raptors. Leonard and the Raps would go on to win 58 games in the regular season and would then make […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse is looking forward to seeing Kawhi Leonard on Wednesday, but is also excited about competing against him. Leonard will get his championship ring from last season from the Raptors. Once the game starts, though, Nurse and Leonard will be enemies: Nurse: "I'm gonna be connected to Kawhi for life […]

Marc Gasol had put everything into winning his first-ever NBA title after being traded from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Toronto Raptors at the 2019 trade deadline. Gasol admitted to being exhausted after a long playoff run, one filled with ups, downs, and plenty of memorable moments he can still remember vividly. “That was the […]

Kyle Lowry reminisced about the Toronto Raptors’ unforgettable 2019 playoff run, which ended in the franchise’s first-ever NBA championship. Lowry admitted the team’s second-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers was tougher than overcoming an 0-2 series deficit in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks. “They were built for a championship, and built for […]

Kawhi Leonard will make his first return to Toronto on Wednesday night, when the Clippers take on the Raptors. The former San Diego State standout spoke with TSN’s Josh Lewenberg ahead of the matchup to discuss what he expects from the fans inside Scotiabank Arena. “I mean there will be some cheers but definitely I […]

New Balance has erected a new billboard featuring Los Angeles Clippers All-Star Kawhi Leonard in the heart of downtown Toronto. Leonard, who led the Toronto Raptors to their first championship in franchise history last season, explained why the billboard was placed there, despite the fact that he no longer plays for the team. The new […]

Kawhi Leonard joined the Los Angeles Clippers this offseason, leaving the Toronto Raptors after leading the franchise to its first NBA championship. The former San Diego State standout has returned to Toronto for Wednesday night’s matchup against his former team, and he’s all business. When asked to comment on his return to Toronto, Leonard gave […]

Los Angeles Clippers star forward Kawhi Leonard admitted to giving the Toronto Raptors a strong consideration after winning a title with them last season. Upon returning to Toronto to receive his championship ring in Wednesday’s regular season game against the Raptors, Leonard told reporters he had to think long and hard before deciding on his […]

Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri could be in line for a contract extension in 2020 that increases both his responsibilities and his compensation, according to a report from ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. The Raptors have done well under Ujiri’s leadership, winning their first championship in franchise history last season. He’s a hard worker who has become […]

New Balance has put up a new billboard in downtown Toronto that features Los Angeles Clippers All-Star Kawhi Leonard as he makes his triumphant return to face the Raptors on Wednesday night. Leonard led the Raptors to their first championship in franchise history last season, leaving a trail of lasting memories in his wake. His […]

When the Toronto Raptors acquired Kawhi Leonard in a blockbuster trade with the San Antonio Spurs during the summer of 2018, they knew there was a high probability that Leonard would be a one-year rental. But the Raptors took the chance anyway, and it paid off, as Leonard proceeded to lead Toronto to its first-ever […]

MLSE part-owner and long-time chairman Larry Tanenbaum says Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri “is here to stay.” Tanenbaum is not worried about another team trying to sign Ujiri away from the Raptors. The New York Knicks are believed to have heavy interest in Ujiri. “We hope so,” Tanenbaum, who is MLSE part-owner and long-time chairman, […]

Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard may have only spent a single season with the Toronto Raptors, but it was the most important year in the Canadian franchise’s history. Leonard’s arrival pushed the team over the top, defeating the Golden State Warriors in six games to claim the team’s first NBA championship. Arriving for the […]

During an Ask Me Anything Series on Reddit, Toronto Raptors rising star Pascal Siakam was asked who is the toughest player to guard in the NBA. Siakam went with Houston Rockets superstar guard James Harden and Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant, who is expected to miss the entire 2019-20 season recovering from an Achilles tear. […]

Toronto Raptors power forward Pascal Siakam has grown from Most Improved Player last season to his team’s top gun following the departure of 2019 Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. The 25-year-old Cameroonian signed a big extension with Toronto in the offseason and has only stepped up his game in 2019-20, earning the praises of All-Stars Kevin […]

On Wednesday, Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard will play his first game in Toronto since helping the franchise claim the 2019 NBA championship. His offseason decision to sign a max contract with the Clippers — thereby spurring the Raptors — makes for one of the best one-year stints in league history. Raptors point guard […]

A report from Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck over the weekend said Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri turned down a lucrative extension from Toronto last summer and would be intrigued by the challenge of fixing the New York Knicks. While the Knicks part of that report may be true, Michael Grange of Sportsnet is refuting that the Raptors […]

The Toronto Raptors will be without guard Fred VanVleet on Monday when they take on the Chicago Bulls in The Windy City. VanVleet is dealing with a right knee contusion, which he picked up during Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers. Fred VanVleet out vs. Bulls. — K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) December 9, 2019 The Raptors […]

Los Angeles Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard returns to Canada on Wednesday to take on the Toronto Raptors. Leonard will get his championship ring from last season. The Raptors are asking their fans to get into their seats by 6:45 for the proceedings: Raps are putting together special pre-game Ring Presentation for Kawhi Leonard for Wednesday's […]

After their frustrating loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry had a heated exchange with a heckler. Lowry was so tense that he told the heckler where he lived so they can have a go at it. Per Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Lowry — a Philadelphia native — […]

After playing just over 12 minutes in the Toronto Raptors’ Sunday matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers, Fred VanVleet would exit the game in the second quarter after suffering an apparent knee injury. In his 12 minutes, the Raptors combo guard scored two points, dished out two assists and grabbed one rebound. According to the team, […]

It’s no secret that the New York Knicks are enamored with Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri. According to Ian Begley of SNY, the level of interest in Ujiri is more than just exploratory. Will the Knicks have a shot at landing Ujiri? That’s unclear. But once the Knicks started struggling last month, multiple Madison Square […]

Masai Ujiri might have interest in leaving the Toronto Raptors for the New York Knicks, but some around the NBA don’t believe that’s a good idea. According to Howard Beck of Bleacher Report, influential voices in the NBA have strongly advised Ujiri not to take the Knicks job if owner James Dolan fires Steve Mills […]

Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri turned down a lucrative extension from the Raptors last summer and would be intrigued by the challenge of fixing the New York Knicks, according to Howard Beck of Bleacher Report. The Knicks fired head coach David Fizdale on Friday and are widely expected to move on from president Steve Mills […]

Real recognize real. Prior to their matchup on Sunday against the 76ers on Sunday, Raptors center Marc Gasol offered his opinion as to why Joel Embiid is such an integral piece to Philadelphia’s success. “To me, if he gets in rhythm, you’re in trouble because once he starts hitting his jump shot, things change for […]

The Toronto Raptors went to some extreme measures to limit James Harden’s incandescent scoring abilities on Thursday, swarming him with bodies, trapping him, and forcing the league MVP runner-up to play through others. The Houston Rockets came away with a 119-109 win, but the Raptors’ strategy was successful, limiting The Beard to his lowest usage […]

After last night’s controversy in San Antonio, Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni is just relieved to have a coach’s challenge ruling that finally went in his favor. The Rockets took down the defending champions Toronto Raptors, 119-109, at the Scotiabank Arena on Thursday. Apart from bouncing back from last night’s devastating double-OT defeat versus […]

The Toronto Raptors don’t have heavy interest in Cleveland Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson, according to Michael Grange of Rogers Sportsnet. The source that refuted the report to Grange described hearing the rumor as “news to me.” On the due dilligence front: reports the Raptors have heavy interest in Tristan Thompson were described as "news […]

Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry certainly deserves an Oscar after this play. With the Raptors down 50-61 at the 2:47 mark of the second quarter in their match-up against the Houston Rockets on Thursday, Lowry pulled off some extracurriculars to make sure his team got an extra possession. Lowry was initially deceived by a PJ […]

Finding a way to guard against Houston Rockets guard James Harden has been pretty fruitless. But Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse thinks he might have the “mystery” scheme to keep Harden’s numbers down on Thursday night. Nurse hinted that the Raptors could play a little bit of zone against Houston’s backcourt while possibly deploying […]

Reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard will be making his much-anticipated return to Toronto next week, as the Clippers will pay a visit to Scotiabank Arena to face the defending NBA champions Toronto Raptors. Leonard, who was instrumental in helping the Raptors win their first-ever NBA title, decided to leave the team in free agency and […]

Ahead of Thursday’s meeting with James Harden and the Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet was nothing but complimentary of the league’s leading scorer who has somewhat polarized many around basketball with his high-octane offense. “We’ve already pretty much played every defense you can think of or dream of, so it won’t be the […]

Jimmy Butler expressed an overwhelming sense of confidence after dominating the overtime period of Wednesday’s 121-110 win over the Toronto Raptors. The Miami Heat star forward made his presence known, scoring eight of the team’s 13 points in the extra period, helping hold the Raptors to a mere two points in overtime. Butler, who has […]

The Toronto Raptors are getting All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry back on Tuesday against the Miami Heat. Lowry will start versus the Heat after missing 11 straight games due to a thumb injury. Kyle Lowry will return tonight for the Raptors and start. — Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) December 3, 2019 Lowry is averaging 21.8 points, […]

Heat swingman Jimmy Butler isn’t ready to look back on the series-clinching shot that Kawhi Leonard hit in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals that ended the Sixers’ postseason aspirations. Via Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel: “No. I’m on a different team now,” Butler said, having signed with the Heat as […]