Speedy Claxton shares why every NBA player loves playing in Toronto

The city of Toronto may not be as high-profile as an NBA city like Los Angeles, New York, Boston and San Francisco.

However, it has its lure and many NBA players have expressed their preference in playing there, either as part of the Raptors or a member of the visiting team.

Speedy Claxton, who played seven seasons in the NBA and won a title with the San Antonio Spurs in 2003, is one of the captive fans of the “T-Dot,” the popular hip-hop slang for Toronto. He never got to play for the Raptors, but the city made a huge impression on him during his NBA run.

He spoke about it on the “BagFuel” podcast, mentioning the feel-good vibes Toronto had for him when he was still in the NBA. Claxton fondly recalled the great time he had attending the Caribana Festival, which is now known as the Toronto Caribbean Carnival Grande Parade and the many other things the city had to offer apart from its basketball culture.

“My favorite team city that I played on was Philly. But my favorite city to play in was the T-Dot. T-Dot is crazy. Caribana? Insane. If you know, you know. It’s going to be cold in the winter, but when it’s summer, oh my god, the vibe. It’s nothing like the T-Dot. The vibes. People don’t know that. It’s underrated,”said Claxton.

Returning to the NBA

Toronto made its NBA return in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA’s expansion into Canada.

The city actually had a team in 1946, the Huskies, which holds the distinction as hosting the first-ever game of the Basketball Association of America, which later became the NBA, against the New York Knickerbockers. The Huskies, however, folded after just one season.

Vince Carter, the No. 5 pick in the 1998 NBA Draft, was acquired by the Raptors in a draft-day trade with the Golden State Warriors and went on to become the team’s first bona-fide superstar.

He played six and a half seasons in Toronto and put the city on the NBA map with his high-flying ways that captivated not only the hometown fans but the entire league.

“The love that was shown on and off the court was great. I got the chance to see people who didn’t care about basketball all of a sudden love basketball,” Carter, whose No. 15 jersey was retired by the team, shared about his experience at the T-Dot.

After Carter, Chris Bosh was the next big star for the team and experienced some success in the late 2000s. Then the duo of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan had their time leading the team in the 2010s.

In 2019, the Raptors, with a team featuring the likes of Kawhi Leonard, Lowry, Marc Gasol, Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet, broke through and won their first-ever NBA title, defeating the Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant-bannered Warriors.

Resurgence

The years that followed their championship season have been tough, but of late, the Raptors are showing signs of making a resurgence and the organization is staying committed to continued development and improvement.

Bannered by All-Stars Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram as well as homegrown star RJ Barrett, Toronto made waves this season, earning an automatic spot in the playoffs after missing the postseason the previous three years.

The team failed to move past the first round, but not after taking the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games and making believers out of doubters that the future of the team is bright.

The Raptors will not be the Lakers or the Knicks, but with the enticing qualities that their organizations and the city they play in have, they can be assured that interested players will continue to gravitate towards them.

This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 19, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Tags: