We the Raptors: Thirty Players, Thirty Stories, Thirty Years

We the Raptors: Thirty Players, Thirty Stories, Thirty Years is about the grinders, glue guys, bench heroes, and more. Alvin Williams, José Calderón, T. J. Ford, Jonas Valanciunas, Danny Green--whether regular or part-time starters, role players, key cogs, or even short-term stars--all of them felt blessed to call Canada home.

Foreword by Kyle Lowry

Amir Johnson immediately fell in love with the diversity of the country. From special events with fans to Zombie Walks down Yonge Street, few players connected with Toronto--on and off the floor--more than Amir. At the age of thirty, Anthony Parker--known as the ＂Michael Jordan of EuroLeague＂--finally found his place in the NBA with the Raptors, a role that had eluded him as a young draftee and during his six seasons overseas. NBA vet and Toronto native Jamaal Magloire mentored younger players in the shadow of his brother’s murder in Regent Park. Bismack Biyombo, a fan favourite for his big, burly play and endless energy, couldn’t decide which team to sign with as a free agent, until a phone call from Masai Ujiri made the choice easy. The Junkyard Dog, Jerome Williams, drove himself to Toronto in a snowstorm, becoming in the process one of the most recognizable players in franchise history. Matt Bonner, dubbed the Red Mamba by none other than Kobe Bryant, emerged as a national hero after going toe to toe in the post with Kevin Garnett. Jorge Garbajosa, a superstar in Italy and his native Spain, gambled on a second career at the age of twenty-eight, becoming the hustle and heart of a playoff-bound Raptors squad only to see his NBA dreams crumble in a career-ending on-court injury.

Every team has unheralded but dogged players but none more so than the expansion-era Raptors, a team that many NBA players and free agents often ignored--until the Raptors became one of the most interesting and winningest teams in the league.

This rich tapestry comes alive in We the Raptors, as told by Raptors radio voice Eric Smith and Andrew Bricker through thirty exclusive interviews with former and current Raptors. Every bounce, every rebound, every elbow to the face--this is a rare view of the NBA through the eyes of those who made it to the pinnacle of their profession.

Eric Smith has been working at Sportsnet and Sportsnet 590 the FAN, covering the Raptors in some capacity, for nearly thirty years. He has also done work for Global TV sports, as their Raptors/NBA analyst, and he has appeared on CNN, NBA TV, CBC Newsworld, and more. For over twenty years, he has been the radio voice for Toronto Raptors radio broadcasts and a full-time sports talk radio host. When he is not working on the radio, Smith jumps over to TV, often appearing on the pre-game and post-games shows for the Raptors broadcasts on Sportsnet and appears regularly on NBA TV Canada. He also spent seven years as the pre-game and halftime host and sideline reporter for Sportsnet’s Raptors coverage.

Andrew Bricker is an associate professor of English literature at Ghent University. We the Raptors is his first book about basketball.