Checking in on the status of your former Raptors.
Sunday is the day of rest and worship for Christians. Or so I believe. I’ve never been one for religion. The only man upstairs for me is the guy fixing the roof.
But regardless, it’s Sunday. This is as good of a time as any to call a temporary ceasefire in the bitter trench war over tanking. At least for one day, it’s time for to put down your arms. Give it a rest, the “Everyone but Bruno” battalion. Likewise for the “Stay calm and fire Casey” squadron. After all, we’re all here for one reason: masochism.
In the spirit of masochism, let’s revisit a horrible time in Raptors history: the ugly stretch from 2009 to 2013. I did a bit of research into the 47 former players who have donned a Raptors jersey since 2009. To count, there are 24 players still in the NBA, 18 players in D-League action or competing in the many international circuits and five players who have since retired.
Let’s check in on those former Raptors who are out of the NBA.
Faded stars, basketball lifers and keeping the dream alive
Sometimes we lose perspective about the NBA. It’s hard to tell based on watching so much Raptors basketball over the years, but the National Basketball Association is home to the very best basketball players in the world. That’s right. Kendrick Perkins and Bruno Caboclo are two of the 450 finest ballers the world has to offer. It’s a dream job.
That’s why we shouldn’t chide the faded stars and the basketball lifers who still scrap and fight to keep the dream alive. They travel the world, battling in foreign lands out of love for the game of basketball. They’re in Italy, France, Spain, Turkey, Russia, Lithuania, Venezuela, the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Japan and just about every corner of the planet, making the beautiful idea of making a living off playing a child’s game into a reality.
Sonny Weems and Nando de Colo
Long live the Yung Gunz. DeRozan and Johnson have carved out a nice home in Toronto, but Weems ended up in Russia, where he has developed into a star for CSKA Moscow. He won a dunk contest, was named an All-Star in 2012 and was selected to the All-Euroleague team in 2014 with averages of 12.2 points. 3.7 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZvKP_5br0c
Our boy Nando is Weems’s teammate and he’s also flourishing. He was named Second Team All-Euroleague this season.
Marcus Banks
Banks had a cup of coffee with the Raptors. He was acquired in the ill-fated Jermaine O’Neal trade, which paved the way for Miami to sign the Big Three in 2010. He played as a deep-bench point guard, posting averages of 4.2 points and 1.1 assists per game between 2009 and 2011.
After leaving the Raptors, Banks caught a stint with the New Orleans Hornets, before playing in the D-League for the Idaho Stampede. He then took his talents to Greece and now plies (not the rapper) his trade in France.
Pops Mensah-Bonsu
Back when I didn’t know better (not much has really changed on that front), Mensah-Bonsu was one of my favorites. He was such a tenacious rebounder and had a tremendous name that Matt Devlin would always make sure to pimp. He couldn’t do anything on offense and was too undersized to play the frontcourt defensively, but it’s the Raptors, so he stuck around for two seasons. I loved every minute of it.
Mensah-Bonsu has since landed in Europe, where he found some success with Bestikas in the Turkish league. He helped them to a championship in 2012 and won player of the year honors in Turkey for 2012. Good to see he’s still kicking.
Antoine Wright
Here’s a lifer. He exited the NBA after a serviceable season with the Raptors and an unspectacular year with the Kings. He has since played in China, Spain (on the same team as Bebe!), the D-League, Venezuela, and is now balling out in Israel.
Solomon Alabi
Remember when he was supposed to be the next big thing? It didn’t quite pan out that way for the Raptors (what else is new?) The skinny 7-foot-1 center played two seasons with Toronto and averaged 1.5 points per game on 31.4 percent shooting.
The last time Raptors fans saw Alabi was in 2012 in a game against the New Jersey Nets. Both teams were tanking at the time, which would explain why Alabi played 40 minutes and posted 11 points and 19 rebounds as part of a 31-point win. That was also the infamous Ben Uzoh triple-double game (12 points on 6/19 shooting, 11 rebounds, 12 assists; more on Uzoh below).
Alabi has since travelled to Greece, Taiwan and the Philippines, because being 7-foot-plus is the surest way to earn a stable living on this here earth.
David Andersen
The Aussie! The Gunner from Down Under! Andersen enjoyed a respectable career in the NBA, mostly as a stretch-four back before those were all the rage.
His tenure with the Raptors ended in the Peja Stojakovic trade which saw Andesen wind up on the Hornets. He then played in Italy, Turkey and France. His skillset was always more suited for the European game, which favors slow-footed bigs who love jumpers. Andersen’s name also made a surprise appearance on this week’s Raptors Weekly podcast.
Sundiata Gaines
He’s kicking it in Italy, although nothing will top beating LeBron.
Trey Johnson
I had no idea he played for the Raptors but apparently he was here on a 10-day in 2011. He has since played for the Lakers, Hornets, in the D-League, Venezuela, Japan and Italy.
Fun fact: Johnson plays for Qatar in international competition, even though he was born in Mississippi. That’s all I got.
Linas Kleiza
I had such high hopes for Kleiza. He was a versatile attacker with the Carmelo Anthony Nuggets, flashing the ability to shoot from deep and play in the post. Lest, he was signed to a 4-year deal and was an absolute bust with the Raptors. He was mercifully amnestied in 2013 to make way for Dwight Buycks (oh god why do we do this).
Kleiza has since played in Turkey and Italy. He played a key role in 2013 for Lithuania in Eurobasket, averaging 11.4 points and five rebounds per game but was left off the World Cup squad in 2014. His time has passed him.
Julian Wright
Another lifer. He played in the D-League, Israel, Russia, Greece and back to the D-League. Wikipedia says he’s “known for his interest in bowling” without a citation, so who are we to question that?
Justin Dentmon
Yet another lifer. Dude played in Italy, the D-League, had a cup of coffee with the Mavericks, Puerto Rico, Lithuania, China and how he’s back in the D-League. He won the D-League MVP in 2012.
Julyan Stone
He’s in Italy. Remember when he had the backup point guard job over D.J. Augustin? Remember when Augustin dropped 34 points on the Raptors this season. Why. Do. We. Do. This?
Mickael Pietrus
Pietrus is now playing in Puerto Rico, which is shocking, because he’s still reasonably young and can still presumably defend and shoot treys. Last we heard, he’s still trying to make it back to the NBA.
Gary Forbes
Another Masai Ujiri favorite. He never did pan out in the NBA and has since played for the Zhejiang Lions in China. Fun story about Zhejiang: that’s where Papa Lou and Mama Lou met, back in the mid-Eighties as two undergrads at Zhejiang University. They went on to get married and had two children, one of which is spending a significant chunk of Saturday afternoon making #content.
Domonic McGuire
The long-armed wing that basically doubled as Landry Fields, except Fields was paid 10 times his salary. McGuire has logged time with the Hornets, Pacers, then the D-League, Venezuela and is now in Italy.
Ben Uzoh
I’ll never forget the Ben Uzoh triple-double game. He tried so hard to get into double-digits in scoring in such a meaningless game.
Uzoh has bounced around the D-League since his tenure in Toronto. He suffered a season-ending injury in 2014 and was subsequently cut. Life is cruel that way. Uzoh suffers from thoracic outlet syndrome, which is apparently triggered by sporting-related activities. Still, Uzoh isn’t letting that stop him from chasing the dream.
“I don’t like playing the victim,” Uzoh told Yahoo Sports. “I am a strong-willed kid and I’d really just like to return to form. I have kind of accepted the syndrome. But it’s more of a nuisance and annoying than a syndrome. People say you got this, but I got to the NBA with it, so how bad is it?
“It would be so cool to return to the NBA. I haven’t given up. I realize I’ve done more with less. Imagine when I get to use more, a sixth sense to feel?”
The Retirees
It’s a testament to all the hard work and talent you possess if you’re able to retire from what you love. The five players below are all highly accomplished and still active in the basketball community, despite incredibly generous pensions.
Rasho Nesterovic
Another one of my favorites. The flat-footed 10-footers, the solid positional defense and that dry wit. The big Slovenian was made to be a Spur, where he spent part of his career before ending up in Toronto for three seasons.
And yes, someone went through the effort of putting together a Rasho Nesterovic highlight pack. Enjoy four minutes of flip shots, flat jumpers and some sweet putbacks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gisaHgIj69Q
After 2010, Nesterovic returned to Europe to play one season with Olympiakos in Greece. The 11-year veteran then retired and was named Secretary-General of the Basketball Federation of Slovenia. He helps oversee the Slovenian team, which features the Dragic brothers. Together, the Slovenians have earned a fifth-place finish in Eurobasket 2013 and 7th in the 2014 FIBA World Cup.
Ronald Dupree
I don’t remember Dupree as a Raptor. After all, he did only play 13 minutes across three games, racking up two points on 1-of-4 shooting.
Dupree played in the D-League, Israel and Argentina before retiring in 2014. He now works as an assistant head coach with the LSU Tigers.
Jamaal Magloire
The Big Cat is still repping the T Dot. He’s an assistant with the Raptors and is still really loving camouflage.
Peja Stojakovic
Quite possibly the best shooter of all-time. Stojakovic hit 1,760 3-pointers in 13 seasons ranking 10th in total 3-point makes. He made three All-Star teams as a member of the Chris Webber Kings that were robbed of a title thanks to some seriously shady officiating. Over those three seasons, Stojakovic averaged 21.7 points and 5.5 rebounds on a true-shooting percentage of 60.7.
Stojakovic only played two games for the Raptors after coming over in a salary dump deal with New Orleans. However, he does hold the Raptors’ record for PER in a single-season at 34 (he was really awesome in those two games). He was then waived and latched on with the championship Mavericks in 2011. Combined with his contributions in international competition, Stojakovic has a strong case for making the Hall of Fame.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PL_CDL_P7S0
The Kings retired Stojakovic’s number 16 in 2014.
Anthony Carter
Here’s an amazing story from Carter’s childhood.
As a teenager, Carter played basketball dropped out of school to play for roving packs of drug dealers. He needed the money.
“The dope man would put up the money, and we would play. We used to play for the drug dealers. That’s how we were going to make our money. We didn’t sell the drugs … (I used the money) to buy shoes and food. That was the only way we could eat.”
When he realized he was good enough to make a career out of balling, Carter enrolled in a GED program with the help of the I Have a Dream Foundation, which led to an admission to the University of Hawaii, where he played four seasons. He then went on to carve out a 13-year career as a Derek Fisher-type.
Carter called it quits after 2012. He’s since split time between working as an assistant with the Spurs’ D-League affiliate and as a spokesman for the I Have a Dream Foundation. He’s working to give impoverished and underprivileged youth the opportunity to get an education and to escape poverty — the same way Carter did. In 34 years of the charity’s existence, 90 percent of the 16,000 students in the program have went on to complete a high school education, and 67 percent of high school graduates went on to enrol in post-secondary education.
Happy Sunday, everyone!
