The Raptors should bring back this blue throwback jersey sooner rather than later

On the 80th anniversary of the 1946-47 Basketball Association of America (BAA) season, the Toronto Raptors get a rare opportunity to mark the occasion of the city’s first professional basketball team. But, unfortunately, they probably won’t take it.

The National Basketball Association as we know it has its roots in the BAA, which later went on to merge with the National Basketball League (NBL) in 1949, to create an early version of the NBA. The Association of America had its first game on November 1st, 1946, where the New York Knicks faced off against the Toronto Huskies in the Maple Leaf Gardens.

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Right there at Church and Carlton, the Huskies lost their first game by two points, ending in a 68-66 loss for Toronto: the team would only play one season in the BAA, collapsing by 1947. But! En-route to making history (and failing soon after), the Huskies established the first brand identity for Torontonian professional basketball.

TORONTO, ON – NOVEMBER 12: Raptor the mascot of the Toronto Raptors performs during a break in the action while wearing a throwback Huskies jersey during NBA game action against the New York Knicks at Air Canada Centre on November 12, 2016 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The blue jerseys are striking, bold, and a massive departure from anything the Raptors have done aesthetically in a long time. While taking on the Huskies’ colours is not reinventing the wheel, doing so would be a great callback not only to 80 years since the beginning of the BAA, but to the Raptors’ 2016-17 tribute to the Huskies, and those great years with Lowry and DeRozan.

TORONTO, ON – DECEMBER 08: Jonas Valanciunas #17 of the Toronto Raptors tips off against Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves on Huskies night as the Raptors commemorate the Toronto Huskies with throwback jerseys during NBA game action at Air Canada Centre on December 8, 2016 in Toronto,…

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Publish date : 2026-10-18 15:30:00

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