They have competed at the Air Canada Center in the NBA's Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division since 1995. They started off as players for the lone non-American team, the Vancouver Grizzlies. Before the Grizzlies moved to Memphis, Tennessee, in 2001. The Raptors played their home games at the SkyDome before moving to the Air Canada Center in 1999.
They at first thought about using the Huskies team name, but quickly realized it would be very hard to design a logo that wasn't too similar to the Minnesota Timberwolves. A national competition was then used to choose the team's name, colors, and logo. Out of nearly 2,000 submissions, the top 10 winners were: Beavers, Bobcats, Dragons, Grizzlies, Hogs, Raptors, Scorpions, T-Rex, Tarantula, and Terriers. In honor of James Naismith, a Canadian who is credited with inventing basketball, the silver "Naismith" was chosen. Raptors apparel sales were sixth in the league prior to the start of the inaugural season, signaling a successful return of professional basketball to Canada. Initially, the franchise participated in the Central division.
Isiah Thomas, the Raptors' head coach at the time and a former Detroit Pistons assistant, climbed swiftly through the management ranks after taking over as general manager of the organization. The 1995 season saw the team's roster get full courtesy to an expansion draft pick. Following a coin toss, Toronto selected BJ Armstrong, a point guard for the Chicago Bulls and expert three-point shooter, with the first pick.
