Despite being one of the younger teams in the NBA, the Toronto Raptors have already amassed a pretty rich history since they debuted in 1995. In its 28-year existence as a franchise, the Raptors have won an NBA Championship, an Eastern Conference championship, seven Division Titles, and have made 14 playoff appearances. But through its journey, Toronto has seen its fair share of dark times.

Certainly, the Raptors have gone through it all — from struggling in its initial years as one of two expansion teams in the NBA's efforts to expand the game to Canada, to getting put on the basketball map led by an electric box-office star in Vince Carter, to building a strong contending roster through the 2010s led by Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, and to finally winning the big one in 2019 led by Kawhi Leonard. For this article, we are going to rank the 10 greatest Raptors teams in franchise history.

10. Second straight Atlantic Division crown (2014-15)

After a heartbreaking first-round exit at the hands of the Brooklyn Nets, the Toronto Raptors came back in the 2014-15 season even better and hungrier. They went 49-33, winning their second consecutive Division Title. Kyle Lowry made his first All-Star team and joined DeMar DeRozan in the February special as the Raptors backcourt became an All-Star tandem. They acquired Lou Williams during the offseason and he gave them a much-needed scoring spark off the bench en route to winning the 2015 Sixth Man of the Year award.

The guard trio of DeRozan, Lowry, and Williams made Toronto one of the most potent offenses in the NBA. They finished the regular season with the No. 4 offensive rating in the NBA. Raptors fans had high hopes for their squad in the postseason.

Unfortunately, they came crashing down in the postseason when the 5th seeded Washington Wizards swept them in the first round. It was an embarrassing and disappointing exit that only amplified the Raptors' unfortunate luck in the postseason.

9. First Playoffs Since Vince Carter Disaster (2006-07)

The Raptors obviously went into transition after the Vince Carter debacle and all eyes were now on Chris Bosh to lead the team. Toronto missed the playoffs four straight years but broke out in the 2006-07 season when Bosh had the best year of his career at the time. The Raptors star averaged a double-double that season with 22.6 points and 10.7 rebounds per game and earned his surprisingly lone All-NBA nod.

The lefty led the 06-07 Raps with 47 wins, tying a franchise mark at the time. That year also marked the first time they won a Division Title. However, the Raptors were not able to carry the success of their regular season. They saw a familiar face in Vince Carter with his new team the New Jersey Nets take them down in the first round.

8. First Playoffs of the Lowry-DeRozan era (2013-14)

The Raptors went through a dry spell from 2009 to 2013. Chris Bosh left in the summer of 2010 and teamed up with his buddies LeBron James and Dwyane Wade with the Miami Heat. Toronto hit rock bottom in the 2010-11 season, getting just 22 wins, which was their worst record since the Vince Carter era.

But the Raptors' fortunes slowly started to turn after they traded for Kyle Lowry. They went 34-48 during Lowry's first season in Toronto, an 11-win improvement from the year before. Then in Year 2 of the DeRozan-Lowry tandem, the Raptors flipped the switch and went 48-34, finishing with the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference. DeRozan made his first All-Star team off averages of 22.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game.

Despite being the 3rd seed, the inexperienced Raptors were up for a challenge against a veteran Brooklyn Nets team with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Joe Johnson leading the way. The Nets took them to a Game 7 and the series went down to the last possession. Kyle Lowry had the chance to win Toronto its first ever 7-game series. But he was denied at the rim by Paul Pierce and the Raptors' promising campaign came to a gut wrenching halt on their home floor. Nonetheless, this season kickstarted the most successful era of Raptors basketball.

7. Back Home (2021-22)

Due to travel restrictions during the pandemic, the 2020-21 Toronto Raptors temporarily called Tampa, Florida their home. The Raptors went 27-45 that year and the players themselves didn't like playing away from Toronto. That's why when the Raptors returned back home north of the border, the vibes were instantly back. After seeing their team play all the way down in Florida, Scotiabank Arena was rocking when their beloved Raptors came back.

Fred VanVleet had the best season of his career and earned an All-Star nod. Pascal Siakam made the All-NBA Third Team. Their prized 4th overall pick Scottie Barnes became the third Raptor to win Rookie of the Year. Gary Trent Jr. and O.G. Anunoby became besties. The vibes were indeed immaculate during that campaign, especially after just going through a weird season the year before.

Unfortunately, the Raptors fun run came to a halt when they encountered Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round. They fell 3-0 after Embiid hit a dagger three-pointer in Toronto in Game 3. The Raptors countered with two straight wins, including one in Philadelphia. However, they fell short in the end and were ultimately eliminated at home in Game 6.

6. First Playoff Appearance (1999-00)

Vince Carter won Rookie of the Year in 1999 and brought a newfound excitement to a franchise that was struggling to get butts in seats. He along with his cousin Tracy McGrady were slowly gaining recognition as one of the exciting young duos in the NBA. Add the fact that Toronto debuted its spanking new arena, the then-Air Canada Centre, the ingredients were there for the franchise to breakout.

After becoming the league's top rookie, Carter averaged 25.7 points per game in his sophomore season. Led by the young phenom and an infusion of veterans like Charles Oakley, Antonio Davis, Doug Christie, and Dell Curry, the Raptors went 45-37, which marked the first time they ever cracked a record above .500. Unfortunately, the Raptors were swept in the first round by the New York Knicks come playoff time.

5. Franchise Record 59 wins (2017-18)

The best regular season in franchise history belonged to the 2017-18 Raptors, which won 59 games and finished as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Raptors fans were feeling confident about their chances of going up against the reigning Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers, who swept them the previous season. Cleveland struggled the entire regular season after they traded Kyrie Irving and finished as just the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. Raps fans gained more hope that their Raptors were finally going to end LeBron James' streak of seven straight Finals after Cleveland went to a seven-game bloodbath against the Indiana Pacers.

But when the series happened, the Raptors found out quickly that The King meant business… especially against them. Toronto had a massive chance to make a statement in Game 1, where they led by as much as 14 points. But the Cavaliers stormed back and forced the game into overtime. Toronto had several chances down the stretch in regulation, but failed to put their tormentors from years' past away. Instead, the Cavaliers stole the series opener and homecourt advantage in Game 1. That was a backbreaker for Toronto and it honestly felt like the life was taken away from the Raptors.

Toronto proceeded to lose Game 2 at home as well when James put together a masterful 43-point performance where he just made turnaround jumper after turnaround jumper in the second half. The Raptors put up a bit of a fight in Game 3, where they forced a tie with 8.0 seconds left. And then… this happened.

The Raptors were eventually swept. Nonetheless, that series forced the hand of GM Masai Ujiri to make bold changes in the offseason. In the end, that paid dividends for Toronto.

4. Took LeBronto to 6 (2015-16)

The 2015-16 Raptors were the most competitive iteration of the team that went up against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers during the latter half of the 2010s. In fact, during the three times they faced in the playoffs through that stretch, this was the only time Toronto actually took some games from Cleveland. This doesn't mean the Raptors had a chance against the eventual champions that slayed the mighty 73-win Golden State Warriors. They never did. But this particular group had something special in them, that even LeBron James gave them some love after their six-game series.

Raptors fans will certainly remember Kyle Lowry's epic 35-point performance that tied helped tie the series in Game 4. And of course, it would be a sin not to mention the importance of Bismack Biyombo during the playoffs, especially in the Eastern Conference Finals. Biyombo may have played just one season in Toronto, but it was arguably the most memorable run of his career, particularly because of his stellar postseason run.

3. Could've gone back-to-back (2019-20)

The 2019-20 Raptors were reeling from the departure of Kawhi Leonard in the summer of 2019. Even though he just won a title in Toronto, Leonard still chose to leave town and go home to Los Angeles to play for the Clippers. Still, the 2019 Finals MVP staying and giving it another shot in Toronto remains one of the more underrated “what ifs” in NBA history.

Nonetheless, the 2019-20 Raptors were legit. Without Leonard (and Danny Green), Toronto still had a squad with Pascal Siakam becoming the No. 1 scoring option. They still had solid veterans in Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol, and Serge Ibaka guiding the team. O.G. Anunoby returned from missing the 2019 playoff run. Fred VanVleet became the full-time starter and thrived in his role. Even with their superstar leaving, they were still incredibly deep.

They gave contending teams like the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers and the Milwaukee Bucks problems during the regular season. Unfortunately, COVID happened and that likely ruined the momentum the Raptors had until the pandemic hit. They did still go 7-1 when the NBA resumed the final games of the regular season in the Orlando Bubble. They even beat the Lakers and Bucks during that stretch. However, Toronto ran into a Boston Celtics team that gave them plenty of problems in their second round series. Toronto and Boston still went to seven games, but the Celtics eventually came out on top in a Game 7 nailbiter.

2. The Peak of Vinsanity (2000-01)

The peak of the Vince Carter era during the 2000-01 season is arguably the second-best Raptors campaign ever. It wasn't technically the closest they went to getting to the Finals (see number 4) apart from the championship. But this still felt like their best chance to get to the title round among all their other years of existence apart from 2019.

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Vince Carter was a legitimate superstar and had a real chance to push Toronto past the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers. Carter went toe-to-toe with 2001 MVP Allen Iverson in a seven-game bloodbath. Vinsanity traded 50-point haymakers against Iverson throughout the series. Toronto took Philly to the brink and forced a Game 7 in AI's house.

The Raptors' promising 47-35 campaign, where they finished 2nd in the East standings, came down to one final shot from their high-flying superstar. In the end, Carter clanked the potential series-winner, ending Toronto's season in heartbreaking fashion.

1. The Championship Team (2018-19) 

Are we shocked here?

“There's a new NBA champion, and it's a team from Toronto, Canada. We The North are now We The Champions.” Every Raptors fan still remembers that final call from Mike Breen when the clock hit triple zeros, to signify Toronto's historic title win.

It came as a bit of a shock, too, because nobody really expected the Raptors to win, especially against a juggernaut like the Golden State Warriors. Much of the surprise was primarily because of the uncertainty of Kawhi Leonard. Raptors GM Masai Ujiri took a huge gamble by trading for Leonard, who just played nine games the season before with the San Antonio Spurs due to a mysterious quad injury.

Even prior to the start of the 2018-19 season, there was already much speculation whether Leonard would actually play for Toronto. Unexpectedly, Leonard was The Raptors placed him under his now signature load management program, where they maintained the superstar's health throughout the regular season to keep him fresh and at full strength for the playoffs.

And it actually worked. Leonard was an absolute monster for the Raptors throughout the 2019 playoffs. During that run, he averaged over 30 PPG  and 9 RPG while shooting 49 percent from the field. He turned that postseason run into a magical ride, not just for Toronto, but for the entire country of Canada. Who could forget perhaps the most ic0nic buzzer beater of all time when Leonard avenged Carter's miss nearly two decades ago and buried Philadelphia with arguably the most improbable shot ever.

While Leonard led the way, there are a lot of other factors that went into that historic championship. Toronto wouldn't have won without Kyle Lowry's consistency and leadership. The improvement of Pascal Siakam to winning the Most Improved Player award that season gave Toronto a terrific secondary scoring option next to Leonard. Trading for a veteran like Marc Gasol gave them a stabilizing presence inside. And the bench unit featuring Serge Ibaka, Fred VanVleet, and Norman Powell gave them the much-needed depth that most championship teams had.

Looking back, this Raptors team was indeed a legitimate title team that absolutely deserved to win the championship — and would have won more if The Fun Guy stayed.