Front Burner - The unlikely rise of the Toronto Raptors

Episode Date: April 26, 2019

Twenty four years ago the Toronto Raptors were named the newest team in basketball - and the first franchise outside of the United States. In the years that followed, the team would go from widespread public indifference, to one of the most successful teams in the NBA. The Raptors are in the middle of their most successful period as a franchise; with six straight playoff berths under their belt, and a prospective finals push on the horizon. Today on Front Burner, we sit down with longtime voice of the Toronto Raptors, Jack Armstrong, to track the teams unlikely rise. For more about Armstrong visit https://hellojack.entripyshirts.com/

In the Dragon's Den, a simple pitch can lead to a life-changing connection. Watch new episodes of Dragon's Den free on CBC Gem. Brought to you in part by National Angel Capital Organization, empowering Canada's entrepreneurs through angel investment and industry connections. This is a CBC Podcast. In December, an arrest was made that put Canada into the middle of a trade war between the United States and China. Ms. Meng, what do you have to say to the charges?

I'm Stephen Quinn. Sanctioned is the complicated story of how and why Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou was arrested. How will this impact our lives and technology? Sanctioned. Subscribe at cbc.ca slash sanctioned or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello, I'm Jamie Poisson. History repeats itself. The Boston Bruins beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7.

This is the third time this has happened in six years. So frustrating. I don't know, I'm at a loss for words. As of this week, all of Canada's NHL teams have officially been knocked out of the playoffs. For some of you, that's probably terrible news. But I'm here to tell you that there's still hope. There's still one Canadian team left in a major sports league, the Toronto Raptors. You know, Canada's team. They've won four in a row in the postseason.

That's exactly what we expect from our home team playing at home. Let's go Raptors! The Raptors are enjoying what many believe to be this historic year. They've made the playoff six years in a row now, but this year marks the first time they have a real shot at making it all the way to the NBA finals. For years, the Raptors were these perennial underachievers, the lone Canadian team, struggling to find success and respect in a league dominated by American teams. Today, we're going to tell you the story of the unlikely rise of the Raptors and their integral role in ushering in this golden generation of Canadian basketball. I'm speaking today with beloved Toronto Raptors play-by-play analyst, Jack Armstrong. This is FrontBurner.

Jack, thank you so much for joining us today. Jamie, my pleasure. Excited to be on with you. So I want to start back where things started for the Raptors. And I remember this moment. Toronto was awarded a franchise in 1993 as part of the NBA's expansion. This is going to be a franchise that's going to do us very proud and the city proud because it's going to not only entertain a lot of fans, it's going to do us very proud and the city proud because it's going to not only entertain a lot of fans, it's going to do it making a profit. And at first, I remember

this team didn't even have an arena to play in. They were sharing with the Blue Jays at the Sky Dome, which was very kind of comical. It was really hard to watch them in the Sky Dome. They look so small. And this is where the Toronto Blue Jays play. And you know, Wayne, you look up this side, that is actually a hotel up there looking out at us. Yeah, they played mainly in the Sky Dome and also a few games at Maple Leaf Gardens where they shared with the Leafs. So it was a team kind of searching for an identity. And obviously the Sky Dome was a difficult place to play. And then finally in year four, they had the opportunity to move into what's called now the Scotiabank Arena, back then the Air Canada Centre, and finally found a home.

Located at the corner of Bay Street and Lakeshore Boulevard, what used to be the Canada Post building is now the Air Canada Centre. And I've been fortunate to be with the Raptors 21 of their 24 years. And to me, I felt like I was, you know, getting involved with a startup company. To see where they were then and to see where they are now, it's just an absolute remarkable journey from Sky Dome now to, you know, trying to fight for an NBA championship. I want to talk to you today about this remarkable journey and sort of hit some of the high watermarks.

But can you tell me a little bit more about what those early years were like? You know, this was a team that had like this goofy logo. I remember it was like weirdly named after a 90s movie. And here it is, the newest, freshest and hungriest look in the NBA. That's raptors, as in velociraptors, the predatory dinosaurs of Jurassic Park fame. It didn't have a lot of great players at the beginning. What was it like at the beginning? Well, it was a team with, you're right, a dinosaur on its shirt. And obviously, you know, I don't know if the name fit the identity of the city, but nonetheless, that's their name here 24

years later. But it was a franchise in search of an identity. I mean, they had a great young player in Damon Stoudemire. At this time, I'd like to introduce the rookie of the year, Damon Stoudemire. Then they drafted Tracy McGrady. I love the purple jerseys with the dinosaur in the front. I didn't think it looked like that. Those are the worst. You crazy, bro.

Kind of a lot of players who've been kind of thrown overboard in their other places. And your classic expansion franchise where it's going to take time to really develop and put the roots down and get involved in a community and develop a fan base and an identity. involved in a community and develop a fan base and an identity and to really tap into a new market altogether and more importantly, a new country. I mean, when you think about the fact that Toronto and Vancouver were the two NBA teams and a few years later, Vancouver ended up failing and moving on to Memphis. The Grizzlies have the worst record in the history of the NBA.

A kiss of death for a franchise, especially a Canadian franchise, that has big American salaries to pay with a low loonie. Right, the Grizzlies didn't work out there. In my opinion, if the NBA was still in Vancouver, it would be thriving with how basketball has grown in Canada. But with that being said, I think when you look at Toronto and the impact of the sport on the country, how people little by little gradually gravitated to it,

it's been an incredible story. Vince Carter was drafted? When do you think this team really started to gain traction, the Raptors? Was it when Vince Carter was drafted? Oh, definitely. You know, Vince Carter, my former broadcast partner Chuck Swirsky, used to say, half man, half amazing. And to me, I think Vince Carter, he brought out the casual fan or even the fan or even a person who didn't know a blessed thing about basketball, but they would see a few of his dunks and they'd go, oh, my goodness, I got to tune into the Raptor game or I got to go to the Raptor game.

They got something really special. I remember traveling in the first few years of Vince Carter as a Raptor broadcaster. And, you know, you travel on the charter with the team and you're at the hotel with them. And we would get in the middle of the night and literally it was like traveling with the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Elvis, whatever way you want to describe it. Drake now, whatever, whatever way you want to, I mean, but literally you'd get to the hotel and it would be mobbed outside when you're getting off the bus. Everybody wanted to get an autograph or take a picture of Vince Carter. So he not only put basketball on the map in Canada,

he put Toronto on the NBA map in terms of how the NBA fan related to the Raptors, and they were exposed to it. On the couch, Tristan Thompson. Five years ago, if the Raptors were in the playoffs, I could never imagine having 10,000 people out of Maple Leaf Square. If you ask, I think, every single Canadian Division I athlete, if you ask what do they remember about the Raptors, Vince Carter, without a doubt. So there's no question, Jamie, you're right about that.

I think he was the guy that really, and it was funny. I mean, my first game I ever did was Vince Carter's first game. Oh, wow. That's great. And here we are 21 years later. I'm still broadcasting for the Raptors. And Vince is still playing in the NBA. Just finished his 21st year with the Raptors. And Vince is still playing in the NBA. Just finished

his 21st year with the Atlanta Hawks. Vince into the paint, pumps it up and in. Oh, what a move by Vince. Me personally, I think I can give it another year. So why not? We'll see what happens. It really is incredible to think also how he became a role model for aspiring Canadian players. I'm thinking about Andrew Wiggins of Thornhill here. No doubt. You know, you look at Canada right now. Canada's got the second most NBA players in the world, only behind the United States. And you think of powerhouse countries like Spain and France and Italy and Germany and, you know, Brazil, Argentina. Canada has more than all of them.

Three Canadians have now been picked in the top five of the Common Era draft. Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett and Tristan Thompson. Canada's invading our draft. What does that say? I think it says a lot about the impact of Vince. It says a lot about the impact of the NBA in Canada. It says a lot about the impact of the Toronto Raptors, not only in the city of Toronto, in the province of Ontario, but nationally.

And you think about now, the Raptors, all 82 of their games, and postseason as well well are on national TV, coast to coast. Right. They are Canada's team, just like the Toronto Blue Jays. Do you hear this? No, they're incredible. Do you hear this?

Unbelievable respect and much respect to these fans, to this country. This is unbelievable. It is that weave in north mentality, right? This is Canada's team. In many ways, we're in a league of our own. One step removed. Just beyond the boundaries. Well, Jamie, that We the North campaign came out six years ago.

2014, if I'm not mistaken, they played the Brooklyn Nets. I think that was the year. And the We the North campaign hit right before that playoff run. And oh my goodness, it was a galvanizing, positive force. And then here you are playing the Brooklyn Nets, New York City, the largest market, obviously, in the NBA. LA's number two. People don't really realize this, but Toronto is the third largest market in pro sports. But Toronto had this small town mentality, though, like, you know, we're just, you know, up in Brooklyn, New York. I'm an American, obviously. And Canadians are such humble, modest, kind, friendly people. Uh, you know, I love the We The North thing.

It's like, hey man, we're planting the flag. Let's stick our chests out. We're really good too. And we're coming to get you now. We're on the attack. And to me, I thought it was a brilliant campaign. And I think it's, here we are six years later, six. We're on the attack. And to me, I thought it was a brilliant campaign. And I think it's here we are six years later, six playoff years in a row. And everywhere you go,

everyone says to you, we didn't know. Right. But getting there, getting to this moment, it hasn't been easy for us. You know, even with Vince Carter, I know that this team had to struggle. And can you tell me about the role, the fact that this team was in Canada, had on its ability to get these great players up here? Well, what startup company doesn't struggle at some point, right? Damon Stoudemire wanted out. Tracy McGrady leaves as a free agent. Ultimately, Vince Carter forces a trade. Jason McGrady leaves as a free agent.

Ultimately, Vince Carter forces a trade. You have Antonio Davis complaining about the metric system, his kids learning that in school. You have Alonzo Mourning refusing to come play in Toronto. You have a lot of situations like that early on. You have the bad info out there about taxes and cold weather. Wait a minute, cold weather. Detroit's not cold. Cleveland, Chicago, New York, Boston, those cities don't have cold weather. Philadelphia, give me a break. So to me, I think the we the north thing, going back to that, I think finally gave this organization something of like, enough of this

garbage. You know,. That's enough. We got a great market. This is a big time situation. And if you don't want to be here, that's your loss. And if you are here, you're going to be very fortunate to be here. And in my opinion, little by little, as they went through those moments where they couldn't hold on to a free agent or couldn't sign a free agent or couldn't hold on to a play. I mean, we're in the recruitment and retention business. And to me, you got to do a good job with both. And early on, they did. Can we talk about the impact that Vince Carter's departure had? It was devastating, you know, because people fell in love with him.

And he had a charismatic personality and he was bigger than life and he was a great, great player. And people in Toronto and across Canada felt like, hey, man, we're finally in the big time. It was a bad breakup. From North Carolina, 6'6", guard number 15, Vince Collins. Vince looked at it and said, why am I going to waste my prime years here when the people in charge here don't have a real good feel for how to run an organization the way it should be run. So many things, you know, new coaches, new GMs. You know, I've gone through

four coaches in my six and a half years in Toronto. So it's always kind of starting over, kind of starting over. And it was just, it was tough. You know, the team always took a hit. So then let's talk about how he got over that hump. Well, how you get over the hump, You know, the draft is a beautiful thing. When you lose, you start getting good players again. Around this time, Masai Ujiri comes on board, right? And he had this big idea. Masai Ujiri had been in Toronto prior to that.

He lived through the good and the bad in Toronto and kind of understood the market intimately. I'm home. I came home. It was a tough decision to leave Denver. It was an easy decision for me to come here. And I think originally Masai had come in and was going to kind of blow it up and just start all over. Guys, the overall goal in the NBA is to win a championship. That has to be the overall goal.

It's not playoffs. It's to win a championship. That has to be the overall goal. It's not playoffs. It's to win a championship at the end. And suddenly you bring some players in from Sacramento who kind of click with the guys you currently have, particularly Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. And now you get this amazing, wonderful chain reaction. And it was like a perfect storm. And now the team takes off and they become not only a winning team, but a perfect storm. And now the team takes off and they become not only a winning team, but a good team. With a win at home tonight,

the Toronto Raptors would clinch a playoff spot for the first time in six years. And that was their first playoff run six years ago. And it started the magical carpet ride. They've had six straight winning seasons. They've had the best record in the Eastern Conference in those six years. And they've had a tremendous run when you look at where they stand in the league. You know, sometimes life takes a wrong turn in the right

direction. And I would say six years ago when they traded Rudy Gay, they thought that, you know, things were going to get worse and they actually got a lot better. We'll be back in a second. Discover what millions around the world already have. Audible has Canada's largest library of audio books, including exclusive content curated by and for Canadians. Experience books in a whole new way, where stories are brought to life by powerful performances from renowned actors and narrators. With the free Audible app, you can listen anytime, anywhere, whether you're at home, in the car, or out on a jog. The first 30 days of the Audible membership are free, including a free book.

The first 30 days of the Audible membership are free, including a free book. Go to www.audible.ca slash cbc to learn more. We have to talk about Drake, too. Drake starts working with the team around this time as well. And what effect does he have on how people think about the Toronto Raptors? Let's welcome Drake! From the Democratic Republic of Congo, a 6'9 center who accused LeBron of wearing a fake mustache, number eight, Bismarck Biamo. Drake's had an amazing impact.

And he's actually, he's a terrific guy. I mean, I was chatting with him the other night. He sits right next to us during the games when he's in town, not on tour. And he has such love and appreciation for where he grew up in Toronto and in the country of Canada. And just is a wonderful ambassador and a believer in not only the vision of Masai Ujiri, but more importantly, in the potential of what Toronto can be as a pro sports market. You don't even know how passionate that guy is. You know, like it's in the blood, you know, like you can feel he's part of it in a great way.

I've always said this, and I used to say this when I first started with the Raptors. As an American working in Toronto, the Raptors are a sleeping giant. Once they get somebody in here that can figure it out, it's going to take off. And to me, Drake has really helped because he gives you street cred. It's funny. The game ended the other night. The Raptors beat the Orlando Magic in round one of the playoffs. And every single player on the Raptors goes over and shakes Drake's hand. Every single player on the Orlando Magic goes over and shakes

his hand. It's like the prime minister. He's shaking hands, kissing babies. What does that tell you? I mean, that tells you they're not coming over to shake my hand. I mean, you know, so to me, he has that street cred and that cred with today's demographic, that 20, 30 year old athlete, and they listen to his music and they like him and he's popular. And he loves sports. He loves basketball. He's a big fan. I mean, he'll come up to me and talk to me about games that we played a few weeks earlier while he's on the road and he watched the game on his phone or on his laptop. I mean, he's that passionate about it. So to me, I think he's been great for the franchise. And Drake's out there recruiting players for us. I know that

he's asked one of the best players in the NBA, Kevin Durant, to come play. My brother Kevin Durant was kind enough to come to the show tonight and watch us. I just wanted to see what would happen if he came to play in Toronto. I don't know what would happen. Not only is he a guy that would love to say, hey, Kevin Durant, you know, the Raptors would love to have you, the city of Toronto, Canada would love you. But the guys you currently have on your roster, he's constantly selling them on what a phenomenal franchise they're playing for and what a tremendous place they're playing in. place they're playing in. So again, to me, he's a fan. He has no official capacity with MLSC or the Raptors. He's a fan, kind of like a Spike Lee in New York or a Jack Nicholson in LA with the Lakers. But nonetheless, he's got a great belief and a passion for the sport, for the team, for

what Masai's doing, and for his country. And I think it's really, really good, and it should be celebrated. I will say I'm from Toronto, and one of my favorite things to do is just kind of walk by Jurassic Park, a place where up to 2,000 fans gather to watch these games outside. I love it because it feels like this city. It looks like this city. It's young. It's electric. It's so cool and fun. Jamie, you're totally right. And you know what? Our sport is the future of Canada. You know, it's one of those sports that when you look at the new Canada, where people come from, and I'm a hockey fan, I'm a huge hockey fan, but people come to Canada and they didn't follow hockey where they were. They follow basketball and soccer. And if you look at the

fastest two growth sports in Canada right now, they're basketball and soccer. This, of course, brings us to today. So the Raptors have arguably one of the best players we've ever had, Kawhi Leonard, who we had to trade for fan favorite DeMar DeRozan, who you mentioned earlier. Both of these guys have said they don't really want this deal to go. They're not happy with all this. You know, it seemed like I was in that discussion of moving forward with the team. But we've never been in a stronger position.

Heading into the next round of playoffs. The ball with the catch and then the throwdown. never been in a stronger position, heading into the next round of playoffs. So what does the next few weeks look like for the Raptors? Well, the next few weeks are going to be challenging because you're playing a great team and the Philadelphia 76ers loaded with all-stars and loaded with high-end elite talent. So this time of year, once you get past the first round, you know, it's not for the weak of heart. So I'm excited. I mean, the words of the great Marv Levy, the NFL legendary coach,

where else would you rather be than right here, right now? And I'm so excited. And people now have thoughts back to 18 years ago when the Raptors lost in game seven to the Philadelphia 76ers and Vince Carter missed a shot on the last play of the game. If he makes it, the Raptors win and go on to the East final. Carter at the buzzer. No good. And the Sixers hold on and advance to the conference finals. So here we are 18 years later. Can we exercise that demon? Jack, thank you so much for coming by today.

My pleasure, Jamie. And I would be remiss if I didn't ask you for one last thing. People will have my head if I don't. We're talking a lot about the culture around the Raptors today. You are part of that culture. And a bunch of our producers are asking me to ask you if you'll do the garbage thing for us. I'll give them both. First of all, I'm going to go, hello. And then my other one, as you know, you want the garbage one, right, Jamie? Yeah, yeah. All right, here we go. Get that garbage out of here. Thank you so much. All right, you get me on and off. I haven't had any green tea today. Usually during a game, my vocal cords are warmed up and ready to go.

I hope this year is the year where they can make a great run and get to the East Finals and maybe get to the NBA Finals and maybe win the whole thing and have a big parade on Yonge Street. That'd be awesome. Awesome. I look forward to that. Thank you so much. My pleasure, Jamie. So look, before you start yelling at me on Twitter, I know we didn't talk much about Kawhi Leonard,

and I know the Raptors getting him this year is a huge reason why they're in such a great place right now. I know that having to trade DeMar De is a huge reason why they're in such a great place right now. I know that having to trade DeMar DeRozan for him was another heartbreaker for lots of Raptors fans. It's not easy trying to fit 24 years of history into a short conversation. And Jack's a busy guy. We were running up against the clock. So I'm sorry for that. If you want to know more about Jack Armstrong, check out his website.

We'll put up a link in our show description. to know more about Jack Armstrong, check out his website. We'll put up a link in our show description. Or just check him out when the Raptors play the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the NBA playoffs tomorrow. That's all for today. FrontBurner comes to you from CBC News and CBC Podcasts. The show is produced by Matt Alma, Aisha Barmania, Chris Berube, Imogen Burchard, Elaine Chao, Shannon Higgins, and Ashley Mack. With help from Hannah Alberga, Derek VanderWijk does our sound design. With help this week from Julia Whitman, the executive producer of FrontBurner is Nick McCabe-Locos. I'm your host, Jamie Poisson.

Thanks so much for listening and... Get that garbage out of here. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca slash podcasts. It's 2011 and the Arab Spring is raging. A lesbian activist in Syria starts a blog. She names it Gay Girl in Damascus. Am I crazy? Maybe. As her profile grows, so does the danger. The object of the email was, please read this while sitting down. It's like a genie came out of the bottle and you can't put it back. Gay Girl Gone. Available now.