Today marks the six-year anniversary of the Raptors’ championship

Six years ago on this day, The Toronto Raptors forever etched themselves in history. With a 4-2 series win over the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, Toronto captured their first NBA championship in franchise history. 

The 2019 playoff run for Toronto was nothing short of magical. It gave us one of, if not the greatest playoff buzzer beaters of all time, in Kawhi Leonard’s game 7 shot against the Philadelphia 76ers. Toronto fell down 2-0 to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, only to flip the series on its head by implementing their “build the wall” defensive scheme and win four games in a row. Raptors fans will never forget the performances from Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam during these finals, as it represented their coming out moments on a big stage. This season represents the pinnacle of success for Toronto and their fans, and it will always be remembered extremely fondly.

The Raptors look much different today than they did 6 years ago, and all but one of the players from that championship roster are no longer with the team. Looking back at that championship team, you see just how outstanding of a roster that was, as many of the players from that roster have helped out their new teams immensely. 

Former Raptors star Pascal Siakam is currently playing a pivotal role on an Indiana Pacers team that has a 2-1 lead in the NBA finals. OG Anunoby played a key role in the New York Knicks reaching their first eastern conference finals in over two decades. Fred VanVleet was a leader for the Houston Rockets first playoff berth in several years. Raptors legend Kyle Lowry helped the Miami Heat reach the NBA finals in 2023 as well. 

The collection of talent on that championship team was truly remarkable, and it was on the back of a controversial move to trade Demar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard. Since that season the Toronto Raptors have pivoted from championship contention to roster rebuilding and there have been plenty of eye-opening moves post title. 

Trading Kyle Lowry, Trading Pascal Siakam, trading OG Anunoby, drafting Scottie Barnes, trading for Jakob Poeltl, trading Norman Powell, and trading for Brandon Ingram just to name a few. The 2019 title run will never be forgotten, and Toronto is trying to reach that pinnacle again as soon as possible.

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