By Jonah Sharf
On May 22, 1994, Toronto’s NBA franchise, which was scheduled to join the league as an expansion team in 1995-96, announced the Raptors as their team name and mascot. The choice was largely influenced by the popularity of the 1993 film Jurassic Park. The Raptors’ first General Manager would be Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas, and their first head coach was Brendan Malone.