Toronto Raptors Unveil New Jerseys

The Toronto Raptors have unveiled two new jerseys. Honoring both their heritage as the Toronto Huskies, as well as the Chinese New Year.

While the Toronto Raptors may be a relatively young franchise in the NBA, their roots go much deeper. In fact, the first NBA game (then the Basketball Association of America) was played nearly 70 years ago between the Toronto Huskies and the New York Knickerbockers.

The Huskies only existed for one season; but hosting the first NBA game ever and having that game occur outside of the United States is a pretty interesting history lesson.

The Raptors’ “We The North” campaign has had many nods to the Huskies heritage over the years. The team even wore Huskies-inspired jerseys back in DeMar DeRozan’s rookie year. It’s important for teams to create a sense of history and connection to the community.

To honor (or rather honour) that history, the Raptors have introduced Huskies-inspired alternate jerseys.

Related Story: 25 Best Players to Play for the Toronto Raptors

You can view the full gallery of the jerseys here.

The Raptors had this to say about the Huskies inspired jerseys on their website:

"THE RISE OF THE NORTH HAS BEEN STEADY, BUT OUR BASKETBALL ROOTS RUN MUCH DEEPER. HOSTING THE INAUGURAL GAME OF WHAT WOULD EVENTUALLY BECOME THE NBA, THE TORONTO HUSKIES WERE THE ORIGINAL OUTSIDERS, AND THIS SEASON – THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THAT TEAM – WE HONOUR THEIR LEGACY… AND WHAT IT HAS BECOME."

In addition to the Huskies jersey, the Raptors also introduced a Chinese New Year jersey. Three teams will add a Chinese New Year jersey for this season. It is fitting that the Raptors add this jersey into their rotation, given how diverse the city is.

There are an estimated 532,000 Chinese-Canadians living in Toronto, making this a unique way to honor them. The jersey features both a Chinese dragon as well as the Raptors logo on the front of the jersey.

The Chinese New Year begins Jan. 28. During the Chinese New Year, the Raptors play five home games and five road games. It has not been determined how many times the Raptors will wear the jerseys.

However, you can expect those jerseys to be heavily featured during that period of time.

The Raptors’ website had the following to say about the jersey:

"We’ve selected the Raptors red jersey to match the Chinese New Year lucky colour red. The white font on the jersey has been inspired by the original team jersey font."

Both jerseys look fantastic and honor both the history of Toronto, as well as it’s present day multi-cultural makeup. The NBA has been around long enough now that many teams have established deep cultural roots.

With more and more teams unveiling throwback jerseys, it helps connect both old and young generations of fans. Personally I really like the minimalist look, as it looks very sharp. I do wonder if the uniform will look as glossy in real life, as currently the shorts resemble that of a boxer.

More hoops habit: NBA Finals History: Ranking The Last 50 Champions

The Huskies jerseys will be available for sale in October. The Chinese New Year jerseys do not yet have a date for when they will be available to the public.