The NBA is an American league, so it might come as a surprise to some to see a Canadian team playing there on a weekly basis. However, even the keenest of followers might not have ever questioned why and just accepted it at face value.
Well, in this article, we’ll explore why the Raptors play in the NBA, give you a bit of history about the Raptors and the NBA, and show you some other examples of this happening in other leagues. Whether you’re reading this because you love online sports betting and want to bet on the Raptors or just because you’re a genuine fan, this will definitely shed some light on the arrangement.
Why did the Raptors join the NBA?
The Raptors joined the NBA as an expansion team in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies. At the time, the NBA was looking to expand its global appeal and saw Canada as a key market. The league also saw Toronto as a viable option for a new franchise, given its large population and growing economy, a move that proved to be very shrewd during the following decades.
While some Canadian basketball fans were excited about having a team in the NBA, others were less than thrilled. Many felt that the Raptors and Grizzlies would never be able to compete with the established teams in the league and that they would only serve to water down the product on the court. Of course, this wasn’t going to happen, but it was a genuine concern at the time.
Was the decision good for the Raptors?
Both teams have been relatively successful since joining the league despite these concerns. The Raptors have made the playoffs 11 times in their 25-year history and won their first-ever NBA title in 2019. The Grizzlies, on the other hand, have only made it to the playoffs six times but did make it all the way to the Western Conference Finals in 2006.
So there you have it, the Raptors play in the NBA because the league saw an opportunity to expand its global reach by adding Canadian teams. While there were some doubts about their ability to compete, both the Raptors and Grizzlies have proven to be viable franchises over the past 25 years. This begs the question, when will the next Canadian team join?
What’s the history of Canadian basketball?
In 1895, the first Canadian inter-college basketball game was played between McGill University and Harvard University. The game was played using American rules, and Harvard won by 3-0. Basketball began to gain popularity in Canada during the early 1900s. In 1904, the first Canadian national championship was held in Hamilton, Ontario. A team from Toronto won the event.
In 1936, James Naismith, the inventor of the modern basketball we all know and love today, helped establish the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The BAA would eventually merge with another league to form the NBA. Without Naismith, there would be a lot less organization and money in basketball. Naismith himself is honoured by having his name on the NBA Championship trophy.
The first NBA game ever played outside of the United States was in Toronto in 1995 between the Raptors and the Vancouver Grizzlies. The game was played at SkyDome, now called Rogers Centre, in front of over 33,000 fans. While basketball has not always been as popular in Canada as it is today, the sport has a long and storied history in the country.
Where else can this kind of arrangement be seen?
In England, the home of soccer and arguably where it’s played best, you can see a number of Welsh teams compete in the English football pyramid, which includes promotion and relegation. While many of the Welsh teams are unable to climb up into the league, there are currently 4 Welsh sides that compete in the professional soccer league system in England, hosting their games in Wales.
Elsewhere, we have seen rumours spread lately about a combined Belgian and Dutch league being created, which would combine the existing Jupiler Pro League and Eredivisie. This new league, called the BeNeLeague, would still include promotion and relegation but hypothetically should help the nations’ teams compete much better in the continental competitions.
As you might have seen last year, a truly cross-border soccer league was actually created, only for it to be crushed just a few days later. In a move similar to the bank-rolled runaway soccer leagues in North and South America during the 90s, Europe’s top soccer teams decided to create their own closed league before fan protests forced a rapid u-turn.
