Toronto Raptors

The Toronto Raptors are the NBA’s only international franchise, and their 2019 championship — when Kawhi Leonard rented his services for one transcendent season before disappearing to Los Angeles — remains the single greatest moment in Canadian basketball history and possibly the most bittersweet title in modern NBA memory. Founded in 1995, the Raptors play at Scotiabank Arena, a 19,800-seat venue in downtown Toronto that serves as the cathedral of Canadian basketball and the spiritual home of a country’s sporting ambitions in a league that did not want them.

Under Darko Rajakovic, the Raptors finished 30-52 in 2024-25, deep in the wreckage of a rebuild that became necessary when the championship core departed and the franchise chose long-term construction over short-term patching. Scottie Barnes has emerged as the centrepiece — a versatile, high-IQ talent with the kind of basketball instincts that cannot be taught — and Toronto’s internationally renowned player development system and scouting network give them structural advantages that most franchises cannot replicate. The Raptors do not outspend their rivals. They out-develop them.

Toronto’s place in basketball culture is unique and irreplaceable. An entire country claims this franchise, and the 2019 championship sparked a generation of Canadian basketball talent that is now flooding the NBA. The passion of the fanbase — drawn from every province, every time zone, every corner of a nation that has embraced basketball as its second sport — ensures the Raptors will never lack for support. Australian fans benefit from the Eastern time zone scheduling, with most games tipping off during Australian morning hours.

Club Information

Club Profile

The Raptors enter 2025-26 with Scottie Barnes as the franchise cornerstone and a development system that remains the envy of the league. The rebuild will take time, and Toronto’s fans — accustomed to the 2019 championship high — will need to recalibrate their expectations for a season or two. But the Raptors have structural advantages that most rebuilding teams lack: an elite scouting network, a proven development programme, and an entire nation’s worth of supporters who will not abandon ship when the waters get rough. Their Eastern time zone schedule makes them accessible for Australian viewers during morning hours, and the franchise’s unique international identity ensures they remain one of the NBA’s most compelling stories regardless of the standings.

VS — Chief sports columnist, australiafootball.com