The Toronto Raptors’ Expansion Team Was Wild

Every expansion team’s inaugural season is memorable for one reason or another.

For some, it’s because they didn’t suck as much as initially expected. For others, it’s purely for nostalgia and record-keeping purposes.

But for the Toronto Raptors, their 1995-96 expansion season was memorable for all the wrong reasons before the team ever played a single game.

I Had No Idea What I Was Getting Into

It started with the 1995 expansion draft in June.

The Raptors used the first overall pick to select former Bulls guard B.J. Armstrong…who in a Steve Francis moment, refused to show up for training camp and ended up getting traded to the Warriors shortly thereafter.

The next notable selection in that expansion draft, besides Žan Tabak of course, was former bad boy Piston John “Spider” Salley with the 25th pick.

Unlike Armstrong, Salley bought into the idea of being a Raptor, his old pal Zeke was part-owner and he thought that he’d be able to “own the town.” Clearly, he didn’t know what he was getting into, as even he later admitted on his own podcast.

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A big reason for this was a colorful cast of teammates that included heavy Oliver Miller and crazy Alvin Robertson, who Salley called the scariest player he ever played against. Adding that he would “beat the shit outta anybody.”

Smoking the Stupid Pipe

The All-American guard and 4x All-Star’s legacy is complicated as WholeHogSports reported.

On one hand, Robertson is the only guard to ever record a quadruple-double in NBA history. On the other, he has a considerable rap sheet, including trying to set a fire inside his ex-girlfriend’s place.

By the time Alvin arrived in Toronto as a free agent signing, he was nearing the end of his once illustrious career. But this didn’t stop him from smoking the stupid pipe and participating in one of his favorite pastimes…questionable off-court activities.

According to Salley, Robertson got arrested the night before the first game for “kicking a naked prostitute out of his hotel room and refusing to pay her” of all things.

Fortunately, the “lady of the night” didn’t end up pressing any charges, and Robertson was released the next afternoon on bail.

Just in time to make the game that night at 7 PM (EST), score the first points in Raptor’s history, lead the team in scoring, and help them win the game🙌

The precedent was set and “you just knew the season was going to be a wild one”, as Spider Salley said.

If you enjoyed this story, you may also like Fines, Suspensions, and BS: The Isaiah Rider Era in Atlanta or The Worst Pre-Game Speech in NBA History.