Toronto Raptors: A look back at other firsts in franchise history

Toronto’s First All-Star

Although Stoudamire was Toronto’s first star player, the Toronto Raptors did not have their first official All-Star until the 1999-2000 season, when Vince Carter broke onto the scene.

Carter was voted a starter for the Eastern Conference in 2000 and became the first Raptor to appear in an All-Star game. The 1998 first round draft pick would go on to score 12 points in 28 minutes at the Oakland Arena. This would be the first of five All-Star appearances he would make as a Raptor.

The University of North Carolina graduate essentially put Toronto on the basketball map. After winning the Rookie of the Year in 1998-99, Carter really emerged in his sophomore season, averaging 25.7 points-per-game.

During the seven seasons he spent in Toronto, Carter helped reshape the franchise and create a generation of die-hard Canadian basketball fans. A star-studded documentary was aired at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, called The Carter Effect.

The premise was that Carter’s influence of the sport in Canada is still very much alive over a decade after he left the Raptors. Directer Sean Manard looked at the spike in Canadian-born NBA players, and how many of those were influenced by the elite play of Carter.

The Dunk Contest

Carter put the League on notice with his 2000 Slam Dunk victory in Oakland. If anyone in the NBA was uncertain of what a phenom Carter was, he shut down any skeptics with this jaw-dropping performance.