Alex sits down with former Raptors owner John Bitove Jr. to discuss the franchise’s early days, from securing an NBA team for Toronto to shaping its identity. They dive into the original branding process—including how close the team came to a lime-green Raptor logo—the challenges of hosting games at the SkyDome, and his biggest argument with David Stern. Bitove also shares stories about launching the Dance Pak, the opening-night “thunderstick” fiasco, and the lasting influence of the first-year Raptors.

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John Bitove Jr. on the origin story of the Raptors