Toronto Raptors

Toronto Raptors is a Canadian YouTube channel and a NBA basketball team located in Toronto, Canada.
==History==
On November 1, 1946, the Toronto Huskies hosted the New York Knickerbockers at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, in what was the first game played in NBA history. However, the Huskies folded after the initial 1946–47 season. https://globalnews.ca/news/5333595/first-nba-game-ever-canada/ Toronto did not host another NBA game until the 1970s, when the Buffalo Braves played a total of 16 regular season games at Maple Leaf Gardens from 1971 to 1975. https://buffalonews.com/opinion/columnists/with-nba-finals-in-toronto-recalling-the-man-who-once-shunned-the-braves/article_465e0c05-b009-5c2c-bc11-86143fbec30b.html 
Interest to move or expand an NBA franchise to Toronto grew during the late-1980's, with former NBA commissioner David Stern later describing the expansion to Toronto as a "safe step," given the market size and the likelihood of success in the city. The NBA organized two exhibition games in 1989 and 1992 with an attendance of over 25,000 people each, both in the newly built SkyDome. https://betsapi.com/t/53768/TOR-Raptors 
The NBA began to seriously consider expansion into Toronto after they received an unsolicited application fee from the Palestra Group, headed by Larry Tanenbaum. The Palestra Group was one of several seeking an NBA franchise, with Professional Basketball Franchise Inc. formally submitted an application for a Toronto-based team on April 23, 1993. https://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/the-nba-is-coming-to-toronto 
The team was formalized on November 4, 1993, when the NBA Board of Governors endorsed the decision of Expansion Committee and awarded its 28th franchise to a group headed by Toronto businessman John Bitove for a record expansion fee of $125 million. Bitove and Allan Slaight each owned 44 per cent, with the Bank of Nova Scotia, David Peterson, and Phil Granovsky being minority partners. Wagering on NBA games in Ontario nearly cost Toronto the expansion franchise, due to strict league rules at the time that prohibited gambling. However, an agreement was reached whereby the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation agreed to stop offering wagering on all NBA games in exchange for a donation by the Raptors of $5 million in its first three years and $1 million annually afterwards to its charitable foundation to compensate OLG for its loss of revenue. https://web.archive.org/web/20170913142113/http://www.torontosun.com/sports/basketball/2010/01/26/12623001.htmlhttps://www.thestar.com/sports/2010/01/27/negotiations_to_add_nba_to_proline_tickets_in_ontario.html The Raptors played their first game on November 3, 1995. https://www.cbc.ca/sports/the-buzzer-nba-toronto-raptors-inaugural-game-1.5786955 
Initial sentiment was in favor of reviving the Huskies nickname, but team management realized it would be nearly impossible to design a logo that did not substantially resemble that of the Minnesota Timberwolves to avoid confusion with that team. https://www.amazon.com/Name-Game-Football-Baseball-Basketball/dp/1895629748 As a result, a nationwide contest was held to help name the team and develop their colors and logo. Over 2,000 entries were narrowed down to eleven prospects: Beavers, Bobcats, Dragons, Grizzlies, Hogs, Raptors, Scorpions, T-Rex, Tarantulas, Terriers and Towers. The final selection was Toronto Raptors was revealed on Canadian national television on May 15, 1994. The choice was influenced by the popularity of the 1993 film adaption of the 1990 science fiction novel Jurassic Park. The name "Raptor" is a common informal name for the Velociraptor. On May 24, 1994, the team's logo and first general manager, Isiah Thomas, were revealed at a press conference. https://web.archive.org/web/20190530223124/https://www.nba.com/raptors/history/raptors_history.html 
==Channel==
The Toronto Raptors channel was created on March 22, 2006. Their first video was uploaded on April 20, 2011, titled "@RaptorsDevlin talks Twitter with Jon Sinden."
==References==
Category:Commentary YouTubers
Category:Sports YouTubers
Category:Canadian YouTubers
Category:Users who joined in 2006