Toronto Raptors Articles - Page 83

NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith believes that Masai Ujiri made a mistake by staying with the Toronto Raptors and declining the Washington Wizards’ offer. Per the Bill Simmons podcast, Smith believes that Ujiri should’ve taken the Wizards’ lucrative offer, noting that nothing will happen to his career in Toronto. As such, Smith believes that the […]

Andrea Bargnani, formerly of the Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks, seems to be enjoying his life after retiring from professional basketball. The former first overall pick seems to be doing quite a lot since then. His work and affiliations can be seen in his Instagram bio, but for some reason, the NBA hasn’t been […]

In recognition of her birthday, Toronto Raptors shooting guard Norman Powell presented his mother with a 2020 Range Rover. Powell tied a red bow to the hood of the vehicle and led his mother to the driveway, where she was surprised to find the car waiting. Powell later shared the moment with his followers on Instagram. In […]

Following a tremendous third year in the league in which he earned the honor of Most Improved Player, much is expected from Toronto Raptors rising star Pascal Siakam in the coming campaign. Reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard is now out of the picture, which leaves a clear path for Siakam to take over as Toronto’s […]

Team Canada head coach Nick Nurse called previous reports saying point guard Cory Joseph would miss the upcoming FIBA World Cup “incorrect” — stating he’d spoken to the guard on Wednesday and he has his flight booked to China, according to John Casey of 7News Adelaide. Nurse and the rest of Team Canada are in […]

The 2019-20 NBA season is getting closer and closer as we near the two-month mark until the season tipoff. Along with a new NBA season comes new storylines that surround the league that never sleeps. Unprecedented player movement over this summer has treated the league like a snow globe and made it difficult to really […]

Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas explained why Kawhi Leonard chose to leave the NBA champion Toronto Raptors to return to his home in Los Angeles after many people received his exit with a puzzling look. Arenas had this same conversation on a podcast two months ago with Lou Williams, who won the Sixth Man of […]

Toronto Raptors star Marc Gasol understands why a lot of people are doubting Spain in the upcoming FIBA World Cup in China, but he remains optimistic about their chances and what the Spanish national team can achieve if they play with confidence. In an interview with Marc Stein of The New York Times, Gasol expressed […]

Jalen Rose isn’t afraid to make bold predictions and statements, and he recently struck again on the most recent episode of the Jalen & Jacoby Show. Rosetradamus – as Jacoby likes to call the player-turned-analyst – said that the Toronto Raptors should retire the jersey worn by Kawhi Leonard upon his return to Toronto. “If […]

Former NBA guard and current ESPN analyst Jalen Rose thinks the Toronto Raptors should retire Kawhi Leonard’s No. 2 jersey when the Los Angeles Clippers come to Toronto on Dec. 11. Leonard guided the Raptors to their first-ever championship last season and won his second Finals MVP. The superstar small forward left Toronto after one […]

Eyebrows raised across the league in late June when Marc Gasol put off free agency for another year by picking up the player option on the final season of his existing contract. Would the 34-year-old big man really have committed to another season with the Toronto Raptors if Kawhi Leonard wasn’t joining him? Assumptions otherwise […]

The Toronto Raptors will look to defend their title without NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard because he decided to leave them for the Los Angeles Clippers. The Raptors still plan to remain competitive in the 2019-20 NBA season, but reaching the NBA Finals for the second straight year feels close to impossible. Simply making the […]

Washington Wizards owner Ted Leonsis went through a trying time after the 2018-19 season wrapped up for his franchise, soon firing his longtime president Ernie Grunfeld and embarking on a quest to find his next front office executive. It didn’t take long after Game 6 of the NBA Finals for rumors to swirl about a […]

Delon Wright of the Dallas Mavericks is eligible to receive a championship ring but he feels no personal connection to the Toronto Raptors’ 2018-2019 title run. Wright was the 20th overall pick by the Raptors in 2015. He played with them up until February 2019 as he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies as part […]

The NBA is full of touching rags-to-riches stories. Toronto Raptors forward Serge Ibaka graced the league with another one on Monday when he shared the story behind bringing the Larry O’Brien trophy all the way to a small restaurant in the Congo. From begging leftovers 15 years ago to coming back as an NBA Champhion […]

Another All-Star has decided to withdraw his commitment to Team USA with less than three weeks remaining before the FIBA World Cup. Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry has officially announced on Instagram that he will not be playing for the US men’s national basketball team. https://www.instagram.com/p/B1FDGoOlBBz/ Lowry has been dealing with an injury to his […]

The 2019 NBA offseason saw a wild wave of changes, with more than 200 players finding new homes in free agency, whether it was by a signing or a trade. NBA stars were not shy to make moves, as some of the game’s biggest names will now suit up in a different jersey. These are […]

Toronto Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri spent the last few seasons putting together a championship-caliber team. Under Ujiri’s stewardship, the Raptors boldly traded for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green, acquired Marc Gasol, and earlier re-signed Kyle Lowry and assembled the league’s best bench. An under-the-radar move made, though, by the Raptors was selecting […]

The Larry O’Bren Trophy tour has continued to make the rounds in Africa. Shortly after Toronto Raptors forward Serge Ibaka brought the trophy to the Congo, Raptors president Masai Ujiri took the title to his boyhood town in Nigeria: "Taking the Trophy back to where it all began gave me chills. I would not change […]

Remember, kids. Always take your special someone back to home to meet the folks. That’s what Toronto Raptors big man Serge Ibaka just did. The newly-crowned NBA champ brought the Larry O’Brien trophy  — or the Larry O.B. as Kawhi Leonard likes to call it — to his native land of Congo and shared a […]

The game of basketball is expanding rapidly in Canada. Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse believes that the recent boom in popularity, as triggered by the Raptors’ recent championship victory this past season, will eventually lead to the growth of local talent, per Ted Wyman of Canada.com. “The most important thing is the talent growth,” […]

Two months after helping the Toronto Raptors win its first-ever NBA championship, veteran point guard Kyle Lowry is now part of Team USA’s training camp roster, hoping that he’ll make it to the squad that will head to China to compete in the FIBA World Cup. But Lowry is not playing for fame and recognition. […]

Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry is looking forward to bringing his leadership to the relatively young Team USA that will compete in the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China. Lowry told Kristen Ledlow of NBA TV that he is looking forward to using his experience to lead USA Basketball to success this summer. He […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse gave his take on the recent injury sustained by Kelly Olynyk while playing for the Canadian national team in an exhibition game as part of their preparation for the 2019 FIBA World Cup. Olynyk sustained a knee injury against Nigeria. Following the incidents, most fans reacted that what happened […]

A pair of updates were provided with regards to Team Canada’s roster for the 2019 FIBA World Cup on Thursday afternoon. According to a report from Michael Grange of Rogers Sportsnet, Raptors forward Chris Boucher has decided to withdraw from this summer’s tournament for personal reasons. Miami Heat big man Kelly Olynyk, on the other […]

Kevin Durant joked with Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports that 2019 will probably be the last time the Toronto Raptors play in the NBA Finals. Kawhi Leonard guided the Raptors to their first-ever championship. Leonard left Toronto after one season and is now with the Los Angeles Clippers. When he was escorted off the Scotiabank […]

New Sacramento Kings guard Cory Joseph heaped praise on his former coach Nick Nurse of the Toronto Raptors. Joseph — who will be playing under Nurse again, albeit on the Canadian men’s national basketball team — briefly recalled his stint with the Raptors from 2015 to 2017. During that time, Nurse was still an assistant […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse only needed one season atop the highest level to capture a NBA title. However, the soon-to-be second-year NBA head coach made plenty of memories along the way last season — most of which came in the form of his hilarious reactions along the sideline. Well aware of his tremendous […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse is coming off a dream season in which he helped bring the Larry O’Brien trophy to Canada for the first time. Now, the coach is looking to bring Canada some more hardware. Nurse claimed that he will be taking the FIBA tournament just as seriously as the playoff games […]

Toronto Raptors All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry says small forward Pascal Siakam is “going to get paid” next summer. Siakam will make $2,351,839 in 2019-20. He has a qualifying offer worth $3,487,777 for the 2020-21 season. Once the Raptors offer Siakam that qualifying offer, the talented swingman will enter restricted free agency, with all signs […]

CLUTCH Summary: Sixers big man Joel Embiid is one of the best players in the entire NBA. It has likely gotten lost in the shuffle thanks to the NBA Playoffs, but Embiid had himself a tremendous campaign. Joel Embiid is still only scratching the surface of his talents, leaving the Sixers in a great spot […]

Drake is still on that championship high. The Grammy Award-winning rapper opened up his recent concert in Toronto with a gigantic Larry O’ Brien Trophy — or Larry OB as Kawhi Leonard likes to call it — to honor the Raptors’ championship victory this past season: Drake: “I want you to make some noise for […]

The Toronto Raptors will get a much-awaited Christmas Day game, customary of championship-winning teams, after years of getting snubbed out of it. Point guard Kyle Lowry was never one to complain, but even if this symbolic Christmas game is a one-and-done ordeal, he won’t let anyone discredit their championship effort, even if it came with […]

Kyle Lowry is bullish on playing for Team USA once again after being part of the team that brought gold for a third straight time at the Rio 2016 Olympics. The Toronto Raptors floor general played the majority of the postseason with a torn ligament in his left thumb, one that is now encased in […]

Toronto Raptors All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry is confident the Raptors are going to be a good team in 2019-20 even though superstar small forward Kawhi Leonard is gone. Leonard left the Raptors after one season to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers in free agency this summer. With Leonard out of the picture, pundits […]

Kawhi Leonard texted Kyle Lowry on July 6 he was leaving the Toronto Raptors and signing with the Los Angeles Clippers in free agency, ending his magical one-year run with the Raptors. Leonard, a California native, signed a three-year, $103.14 million contract with the Clippers. The three-time All-Star and two-time Defensive Player of the Year […]

All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry says he has had no conversations with the Toronto Raptors about his future, but is open to signing an extension with the franchise, according to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. Lowry has one-year left on his deal with the Raptors. He’ll make $33,296,296 next season. Kyle Lowry tells @SInow that […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse says he is excited to lead Team Canada at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China. As part of an interview with Paul Jones of Sportsnet, Nurse noted some of the better traits his team has shown after just one practice. He says the work ethic and IQ are […]

Veteran free agent Vince Carter recently looked back on some of the most influential individuals he has come across in the league during his decorated 21-year tenure, and as it turns out, former All-Star big man Charles Oakley was one of the players that stand out in Carter’s list. Speaking to Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo […]