Raptors 905

The Raptors 905 are a Canadian professional basketball team located in Mississauga, Ontario. The club competes in the NBA G League, and began play in the 2015–16 season. The club, which is the G League affiliate of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s Toronto Raptors, plays their home games at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre, replacing the Centre's former basketball tenant, the Mississauga Power of the National Basketball League of Canada. The team often plays home games at the Scotiabank Arena, the home of their parent club, the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors 905 is the eighth G-League team to be owned by an NBA team and the first G-League team to be located outside of the United States.[3]

Raptors 905
League	NBA G League
Founded	2015
History	Raptors 905 2015–present
Arena	Paramount Fine Foods Centre Scotiabank Arena (occasional home games)
Location	Mississauga, Ontario
Team colours	Red, black, silver, white[1][2]
Team manager	Chad Sanders
Head coach	Jama Mahlalela
Ownership	Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment
Affiliation(s)	Toronto Raptors
Championships	1 (2017)
Conference titles	2 (2017, 2018)
Division titles	1 (2017)
Website	Raptors905.com

The name "905" refers to the local area code of the suburban Greater Toronto Area, and is a common shorthand referring to the suburbs surrounding Toronto.

History

In 2008, Raptors President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo said that Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. (MLSE) was considering launching an NBA Development League franchise in the Toronto area within a couple of years to serve as a developmental team for the Raptors.[4] Hamilton's Copps Coliseum and Oshawa were reportedly under consideration to host the franchise.[5] However, a Canadian-based franchise posed difficulties due to tax and visa issues,[6] and Rochester, New York, which is just across the United States border, was considered as an alternative.[7][8]

Raptors 905 played their inaugural home game in November 2015 at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga.

In April 2015, Colangelo's replacement Masai Ujiri announced that MLSE's board had approved purchasing a franchise, and that they were in negotiations with the NBA over where the team would play and whether it could be launched in time for the 2015-16 season.[9] In June 2015 it was announced that MLSE had purchased a D-League franchise, which would be named the Raptors 905 and would begin play that fall at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga, Ontario, a suburb of Toronto.[10] The team is named after the area code used by much of suburban Greater Toronto Area. The franchise reportedly cost $6 million.[11] An agreement was negotiated with the Mississauga Power of the National Basketball League of Canada, which held the basketball lease at the Hershey Centre, with the Power folding.[12][13] The team planned to play some games at Toronto's Air Canada Centre, home of their NBA affiliate the Toronto Raptors.[14]

On July 7, 2015, Jesse Mermuys was hired as head coach and Dan Tolzman as general manager. Mermuys left his position as an assistant coach under Toronto Raptors head coach, Dwane Casey.[15] On July 28, 2015, veteran coach Tim Lewis was named lead assistant coach.[16] On November 4, 2015, Raptors 905 unveiled their new uniforms and an alternate logo.

On June 13, 2016, it was reported that Mermuys would leave the 905 for the LA Lakers, joining them as an assistant coach.[17] In September, the Raptors announced that Jerry Stackhouse would be the head coach of the Raptors 905 team.[18]

In 2016–17, the 905 finished with a 39–11 record (the second best record in D-League history) clinching their first division title and with a record of 21–4 on the road (a D-League record).[19] Stackhouse was awarded the Coach of the Year, while Center Edy Tavares was awarded Defensive Player of the Year.[20][21] Making their way to the playoffs as the top seed, they swept the Canton Charge in the first round and then swept the Maine Red Claws in the second, clinching their first conference title.[22] In the finals, they met the Western Conference champion Rio Grande Valley Vipers who they beat in three games and claimed their first title in franchise history. Pascal Siakam was named the Finals MVP after recording 32 and 17 points in Game's 2 and 3 respectively.[23]

Alumni

Current NBA players Bruno Caboclo, Pascal Siakam, Jakob Poeltl, Fred VanVleet, Norman Powell, Delon Wright, Chris Boucher, Stanley Johnson, Matt Thomas, Oshae Brissett, and former players Lucas Nogueira, Anthony Bennett and Jared Sullinger have all played for Raptors 905.

Season-by-season

Season	Division	Regular season				Postseason results
		Finish	Wins	Losses	Pct.
Raptors 905
2015–16	Atlantic	5th	23	27	.460
2016–17	Central	1st	39	11	.780	Won First Round (Canton) 2–0 Won Semifinals (Maine) 2–0 Won Finals (Rio Grande) 2–1
2017–18	Atlantic	2nd	31	19	.620	Won First Round (Grand Rapids) 92–88 Won Conf. Semifinal (Westchester) 92–80 Won Conf. Final (Erie) 118–106 Lost Finals (Austin) 0–2
2018–19	Atlantic	3rd	29	21	.580	Won First Round (Grand Rapids) 91–90 Lost Conf. Semifinal (Long Island) 99–112
2019–20	Atlantic	3rd	22	21	.512
Regular season record			144	99	.593	2015–2020
Playoff record			10	4	.714	2015–2020

Current roster

Roster listing

Raptors 905 roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY-MM-DD) From F 51 Baer, Nicholas 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1996–03–26 Iowa G 2 Bethea, Michael 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1995–01–22 Chico State F 12 Brissett, Oshae (TW) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1998–06–20 Syracuse F/C 22 Ellenson, Henry 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1997–01–13 Marquette G 1 Ennis, Tyler 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 182 lb (83 kg) 1994–08–24 Syracuse G 6 Evans, Jawun 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1996–07–26 Oklahoma State F 50 Konate, Sagaba 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 260 lb (118 kg) 1997–03–19 West Virginia G 4 Morgan, Matt 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 174 lb (79 kg) 1997–11-07 Cornell G 10 Notice, Duane 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 218 lb (99 kg) 1994–09–07 South Carolina G 3 Reyes, Justin 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1993–03–16 St. Thomas Aquinas F 11 Robinson, Devin 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1995–03–07 Florida F 5 Watson, Paul (TW) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1994–12–30 Fresno State	Head coach Jama Mahlalela Assistant coach(es) Charles Kissi Charles Dube-Brais Eric Khoury Arsalan Jamil Ryan Schmidt Wumi Agunbiade Will Rooney Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended (NBA) On assignment from NBA affiliate (TW) Two-way affiliate player (I) Inactive Injured Roster Last transaction: 2020–01–21

Head coaches

#	Head coach	Term	Regular season				Playoffs				Achievements
			G	W	L	Win%	G	W	L	Win%
1	Jesse Mermuys	2015–16	50	23	27	.460	—	—	—	—
2	Jerry Stackhouse	2016–18	100	70	30	.700	12	9	3	.750	NBA D-League Coach of the Year (2017) NBA D-League champion (2017)
3	Jama Mahlalela	2018–present	93	51	42	.548	2	1	1	.500

Awards

Most Valuable Player

Most Valuable Player
Player	Year
Lorenzo Brown	2018[24]
Chris Boucher	2019[25]

All Stars

All-Stars
Player	Appearances	Years
Axel Toupane	2	2016, 2017
Edy Tavares	1	2017
Scott Suggs	1	2016
Ronald Roberts	1	2016

All G-League Team

All D-League Team
First Team
Edy Tavares	2017[26]
Lorenzo Brown	2018[27]
Chris Boucher	2019[28]
Jordan Loyd	2019[28]
Second Team
None
Third Team
Axel Toupane	2017<[26]
All Defensive Team
Edy Tavares	2017[26]
Chris Boucher	2019[28]

Slam Dunk Champion

Slam Dunk champions
Player	Year
John Jordan	2016[29]

Coach of the Year

Coaches of the Year
Coach	Year
Jerry Stackhouse	2017[21]

Jason Collier Sportsmanship Award

Sportsmanship Awards
Player	Year
Scott Suggs	2016[30]

Finals MVP

Finals MVP
Player	Year
Pascal Siakam	2017[31]

Defensive Player of the Year

Defensive Player of the Year
Player	Year
Edy Tavares	2017[32]
Chris Boucher	2019[33]

Most Improved Player

Most Improved Player of the Year
Player	Year
Axel Toupane	2016[34]

NBA affiliates

• Toronto Raptors (2015–present)

References

1. "Raptors 905 Unveils Uniforms". Raptors905.GLeague.NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. November 4, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
2. "Raptors 905 Reproduction Guideline Sheet". NBA Properties, Inc. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
3. "MLSE Purchases NBA D-League Team As League Expands To 19 Teams For 2015-16 Season". Raptors905.GLeague.NBA.com. June 29, 2015. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
4. Smith, Doug (2008-01-15). "D-League coming to T.O.?". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
5. Radley, Scott (2008-01-16). "Hey, it ain't the NBA ... But Raptors placing a D-League farm team in Copps will draw drafted players". Hamilton Spectator. Archived from the original on 2010-01-13. Copps Coliseum is one of two locations being considered
6. Lewenberg, Josh (2015-06-29). "Lewenberg: D-League team is a coup for Raptors organization". The Sports Network. Retrieved 2015-06-30.
7. Cleveland, Will (2014-08-13). "RazorSharks discussing partnership with Raptors". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 2014-08-16.
8. Wolstat, Ryan (2015-02-21). "D-League team on the way for Raptors". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
9. Wolstat, Ryan (2015-04-28). "Raptors to get own D-League team". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 2015-04-28.
10. Oliva, Anthony (2015-06-29). "MLSE Purchases NBA D-League Team As League Expands To 19 Teams For 2015-16 Season". Toronto Raptors. Retrieved 2015-06-29.
11. Smith, Doug (2015-06-24). "Raptors to announce D League team will play in Mississauga this season". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2015-06-29.
12. "The Mississauga Power Join MLSE To Become Raptors 905". National Basketball League of Canada. 2015-06-29. Archived from the original on 2015-07-06. Retrieved 2015-06-30.
13. Dalla Costa, Morris (2015-06-24). "Mississauga Power expected to announce team is folding". London Free Press. Retrieved 2015-06-30.
14. "Raptors 905: Frequently Asked Questions". Toronto Raptors. Retrieved 2015-06-30.
15. Wolstat, Ryan (July 7, 2015). "Raptors 905 staff taking shape". Toronto Sun. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
16. "Tim Lewis Becomes Lead Assistant at Toronto Raptors' NBA D-League Team". Hoopsfix.com. 2015-07-29. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
17. "Lakers Announce Assistant Coach Hires". National Basketball Association. July 1, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
18. "Jerry Stackhouse Named Head Coach Of Raptors 905". NBA D-League. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. September 9, 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
19. "21st Road Win = D-League Record". National Basketball Association. March 31, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
20. "Edy Tavares Named 2016-17 NBA D-League Defensive Player of The Year". National Basketball Association. April 18, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
21. "Raptors 905’s Jerry Stackhouse Named 2016-17 NBA D-League Coach of the Year", dleague.nba.com/news, 19 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
22. "NBA D-League Playoffs 2017 Schedule". National Basketball Assoc. April 20, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
23. "Rio Grande Vipers 96-122 Raptors 905". National Basketball Assoc. April 27, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
24. "Raptors 905’s Lorenzo Brown Named 2017-2018 NBA G League Most Valuable Player", gleague.nba.com/news, 10 April 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
25. "Raptors 905’s Chris Boucher Named 2018-19 NBA G League Most Valuable Player And Defensive Player Of The Year", dleague.nba.com/news, 1 April 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
26. "NBA Development League Announces 2016-17 All-NBA D-League Teams", dleague.nba.com/news, 25 April 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
27. "2017-18 NBA G League All-League Selections: First Team", gleague.nba.com/news, 16 April 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
28. "MVP and Defensive Player of the Year Chris Boucher Headlines 2018-19 All-NBA G League First Team and All-Defensive Team", gleague.nba.com/news, 2 April 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
29. "The Best of the 2016 NBA D-League Slam Dunk Contest Presented by Verizon", dleague.nba.com/news, 14 February 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
30. "Raptors 905’s Scott Suggs Receives NBA D-League Jason Collier Sportsmanship Award", dleague.nba.com/news, 21 April 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
31. "Toronto Raptors Assignee Pascal Siakam Named 2017 NBA D-League Finals MVP", dleague.nba.com/news, 28 April 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
32. "Edy Tavares Named 2016-17 NBA D-League Defensive Player of The Year", dleague.nba.com/news, 18 April 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
33. "Raptors 905’s Chris Boucher Named 2018-19 NBA G League Most Valuable Player And Defensive Player Of The Year", dleague.nba.com/news, 1 April 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
34. "Raptors 905’s Axel Toupane Named 2016 NBA Development League Most Improved Player", dleague.nba.com/news, 20 April 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2016.

External links

• Official website