With new faces making their debut at the Toronto Raptors’ season opener Wednesday night, Toronto Star Archives took to Instagram to share a nostalgic series of images from their first ever home opener, that took place on November 3rd, 1995.
In the photo series, the Raptors are rocking their beautiful white and purple striped jerseys, that have become a fan favourite (but not quite as favourite as their slick OVO jerseys) as throwbacks, and a vintage Raptor going in for a huge dunk at the SkyDome.
In their debut, the Raptors, who were named as a nod to the year’s blockbuster ‘Jurassic Park’, beat the New Jersey Nets 94-79, before going on a seven game losing skid and finishing last in the Central Division. They were one of two Canadian teams in the league, with the Vancouver Grizzlies playing their first games in ‘95 as well. These cities were the first teams north of the border to have NBA teams since the 1946-47 Toronto Huskies. The Huskies were a part of the Basketball Association of America, the predecessor of the NBA, and hosted the first game in the league’s history on November 1st, 1946, but only lasted one year after holding a 15-45 record.
We’re confident that with superstars like Kawhi Leonard, Toronto’s current Raptors look better on the hardwood than the OG teams, but we still definitely love these old school photos.
(H/T @torontostararchives)
