Raptors Bringing Back Original Uniforms in 2020

The NBA Champions will be celebrating their 25th season in style this fall with the return of an old look from the 1990s.

Straight outta 1995, the Toronto Raptors announced today they will be wearing their original home white uniforms, giant red raptor and all, for a handful of games during the upcoming 2019-20 NBA season. The Raptors wore this uniform originally for their first four seasons from 1995-96 through 1998-99 before switching to a more traditional style of basketball uniform design.

Vince Carter, Charles Oakley, Damon Stoudamire, Marcus Camby and basketball Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady all wore the uniform at some point during their NBA careers, it was worn for both the Raptors first-ever game on November 3, 1995 against the New Jersey Nets as well as for their first game at the Air Canada Centre (now Scotiabank Arena) on February 21, 1999 against the Vancouver Grizzlies.

Studio Stories: Naming and Designing the Original Toronto Raptors

And yes, you remember correctly, the Grizzlies are also bringing back their uniform from that era… I smell a fantastic throwback uniform matchup coming this season when the Raptors and Grizzlies play a home-and-home on March 28 and March 30, 2020. DO IT!

Toronto Raptors 2019-20 Throwback Court (via Imgur)

Earlier this month we saw the Raptors were bringing back the classic SkyDome court from 1995 this season, and now we know why.

Toronto had previously brought back this style of uniform during the 2014-15 season in honour of the club’s 20th season, only it was the purple version of the set.

Raptors purple throwback uniform from 2014-15

This pre-dated today’s common practice of themed court designs so the team simply played on their 2015 style court which did kind of take some magic away from the event.