Editing Toronto Raptors (section)

===Background===
On November 1, 1946, the [[Toronto Huskies]] hosted the [[New York Knicks|New York Knickerbockers]] at [[Maple Leaf Gardens]] in Toronto, in what was the first game played in NBA history (as the [[Basketball Association of America]]). However, the Huskies folded after the initial [[1946–47 BAA season|1946–47 season]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Drolet |first1=Mike |title=How Canada helped kick-start the NBA |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/5333595/first-nba-game-ever-canada/ |agency=[[Global News]] |publisher=Corus Entertainment |access-date=August 6, 2020 |date=June 2, 2019 |archive-date=July 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200701123445/https://globalnews.ca/news/5333595/first-nba-game-ever-canada/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Toronto did not host another NBA game until the 1970s, when the [[Buffalo Braves]] (predecessor to the [[Los Angeles Clippers]]) played a total of 16 regular season games at Maple Leaf Gardens from 1971 to 1975.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Brady |first1=Erik |title=With NBA Finals in Toronto, recalling the man who once shunned the Braves |url=https://buffalonews.com/opinion/columnists/with-nba-finals-in-toronto-recalling-the-man-who-once-shunned-the-braves/article_465e0c05-b009-5c2c-bc11-86143fbec30b.html |access-date=August 6, 2020 |agency=[[The Buffalo News]] |date=May 28, 2019 |archive-date=November 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201102190615/https://buffalonews.com/opinion/columnists/with-nba-finals-in-toronto-recalling-the-man-who-once-shunned-the-braves/article_465e0c05-b009-5c2c-bc11-86143fbec30b.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Interest to move or expand an NBA franchise to Toronto grew during the late-1980s; with former NBA commissioner [[David Stern]] later describing the expansion to Toronto as a "safe step," given the market size and the likelihood of success in the city.<ref>{{cite book|title=NBA Expansion: The Footprint Finally Expands|publisher=Lyons Press|isbn=9781493026999|work=Basketball's Game Changers Icons, Record Breakers, Rivalries, Scandals, and More|last=Prunty|first=Brendan|year=2017|page=177}}</ref> The NBA organized two exhibition games in 1989 and 1992 with an attendance of over 25,000 people each, both in the newly built [[Rogers Centre|SkyDome]].<ref name="groundwork">{{cite web|title=Laying the Groundwork for the NBA in Toronto|url=https://www.nba.com/raptors/history/raptors_history.html|publisher=NBA Media Ventures|website=Raptors.com|date=August 26, 2020|access-date=April 28, 2015|archive-date=May 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530223124/https://www.nba.com/raptors/history/raptors_history.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The NBA began to seriously consider expansion into Toronto after they received an unsolicited application fee from the Palestra Group, headed by [[Larry Tanenbaum]]. The Palestra Group was one of several seeking an NBA franchise, with Professional Basketball Franchise (Canada) Inc. (PBF) formally submitting an application for a Toronto-based team on April 23, 1993.<ref name=cbcnewsarch>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/the-nba-is-coming-to-toronto|work=CBC Digital Archives|publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|title=The NBA is coming to Toronto|year=2021|access-date=March 19, 2017|archive-date=March 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170320143606/http://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/the-nba-is-coming-to-toronto|url-status=live}}</ref> Later that year, in July, the NBA Expansion Committee visited various existing and proposed stadium sites along with the bid contenders. On September 30, 1993, the committee recommended conditionally awarding PBF the franchise.<ref name="groundwork"/>