2009 Toronto Raptors

The 2008-09 season was somewhat disappointing for the Toronto Raptors, who ended up in 4th place in the Atlantic Division and missed the playoffs, but a busy offseason means the 2009-10 season is promising. During the offseason, the team acquired Reggie Evans, Rasho Nesterovic, Marco Belinelli, Antoine Wright, Sonny Weems, Amir Johnson, Jarrett Jack, rookie DeMar DeRozan and Hedo Turkoglu. Will all these changes translate to a winning season and a trip to the playoffs? Find out for yourself with tickets to Air Canada Centre and help cheer the Toronto Raptors on to a winning season!

The Toronto Raptors are one of the newest teams in the National Basketball Association. They first joined the league in 1995 under club president John I. Botive. Toronto, however, did have basketball for a brief period before the Raptors joined the league. In fact, Toronto had hosted the NBA's first game on November 1, 1946, when the Knicks beat the Toronto Huskies, 68-66. The Toronto franchise folded at the end of the 1946-47 season, however, and the NBA wouldn't return to Canada for nearly 50 years. The Raptors were placed in the NBA's Eastern Conference's Central Division playing against such rivals as the Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, and Chicago Bulls.

The Raptors play their home basketball games in the Air Canada Centre. The Air Canada Centre is located in the heart of downtown, nestled between Union Station and the Gardiner Expressway. You can always count on a complete entertainment experience when you attend a Raptors game at Air Canada Centre. From before the opening tip to after the final horn, the action never stops with music, dancing, acclaimed halftime performances and, of course, The Raptor. The Raptor is the most recognizable mascot in all of Canada. It is known for its high flying basketball theatrics.

The Raptors are not the only major sports team located in Toronto, Ontario. The city is also home to Major League Baseball's Blue Jays of the American League. The Blue Jays play their home games at Rogers Centre (formerly named Skydome), the first retractable roof stadium in North America. The team won back to back world championships in the early 1990s. Hockey is, of course, the city's first love. The Maple Leafs of the NHL share the Air Canada Centre with the Raptors. The Leafs are so popular that they are the only team in North America with their own TV station, Leafs TV. The city is also home to one of the most successful Canadian Football League teams, the Toronto Argonauts, who share Rogers Centre with the Blue Jays.