When I moved to Toronto in the mid-90s Tie Domi epitomized what the city was drawn to as a sports hero. The enforcer for the Toronto Maple Leafs had limited skill but did end up getting into a lot of fights, often provoking them. This endeared him to Leafs fans to a large extent because if they couldn’t beat you, they’d at least beat you up. Fans need a reason to be fans and if the product isn’t doing it, then the personalities must satiate.
The hockey idea of equating toughness with fighting never made sense to me, but the folklore of Domi influenced what it meant to be hard-nosed and it carried into the psyche of Raptors fans. There was little else to cheer about so when Reggie Slater bodying someone becomes the highlight of the game, then you start liking Slater for reasons other than his skill. Not to say these bruisers were all low-skilled, they weren’t, but one common aspect they shared was that going up against them wasn’t fun for their matchup.
Without further ado, let me present the top ten bruisers in Raptors history.
10. Jerome “JYD” Williams, 2000-03
JYD’s bruising was garnished by his super-annoying over-aggressiveness. He reminded me of that forward in soccer that always pressures the goalie and 99% of the time the goalie just clears it easily, but on those rare occasions he’ll miskick and the forward will get a touch on the ball. He won’t score a goal or anything like that, but he’ll definitely agitate the goalie into drawing a reaction from the crowd.
JYD was an aggressive hard-nosed defender with 110% energy levels consistently, which sometimes worked against him. He used to get offensive rebounds he had no business getting, had his elbows flailing at all times, and true to his Rich Mahorn-blessed nickname, reminded me of a hound who hadn’t been fed for a week unleashed onto a rabbit’s nest.
For me his highlight as a Raptor came on March 24, 2002 when the Michael Jordan-led Wizards came to town. Williams hit a 17-foot jumper to bring the Raptors within one with a minute left. He was checking Michael Jordan and forced him into a tough shot which MJ missed. After the Raptors scored, it came down to Jordan vs JYD with the game clock running down and JYD forced Jordan into another tough fadeaway, and the Raptors won. Jubilation ensued.
High energy, always happy, never complaining and an absolute pest for the opposing team.
9. Jorge Garbajosa, 2006-08
One of Bryan Colangelo’s best signings, Garbajosa came to the Raptors in 2006 and brought steel and grit to the wings on a roster heavily reliant on Chris Bosh to do pretty much everything. He had a knack for the game, a high compete-level and set fundamentally sound bone-crushing screens on guards. Having come to the NBA as a 29-year old rookie, Garbajosa had refined his game overseas and was a man amongst boys on a roster finding its identity after the Carter era.
His rugged appearance lent him a tired look, like a man returning from a tour of duty. Except Garbajosa’s duty was to his club and served us well. Players “giving a 100%” is often a trope, and sure, there are players who have built a name under that tagline, but there are few who actually execute on it. Jorge Garbajosa was one of them.
Garbajosa along with Anthony Parker also signalled the start of the Raptors franchise looking overseas for talent, instead of relying on fickle NBA free agents’ passion for the sun. He would have been a mainstay for the Raptors but his career was prematurely ended on a horrific injury in Boston. Another reason to hate that sorry town.
8. Bismack Biyombo, 2015-16
The 2015-16 season was Biyombo’s lone one with the Raptors in which he was the only player to play 82 games. It was the first of the Lebronto years where the Raptors lost to the Cavaliers three straight times. He was a perfect fit for the Raptors: low shot demand, high energy, strong rebounder, and insane athleticism. Much like JYD, he was a menace to keep track on the boards and his second-jump on the glass was quicker than most.
Biyombo’s versatility was on full display in the post-season where he guarded LeBron James in the two games the Raptors won after being down 0-3. It was a page out of the JYD/Jordan book where the Raptors tried to use pure athleticism to stop the opposing team’s best player rather than the conventional matchup.
We often talk about Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter and Damon Stoudamire regretting leaving Toronto, but on a much smaller scale, Biyombo’s fit with the Raptors was just as perfect. The Raptors couldn’t pay him in the off-season and he went to Orlando as a free-agent, and then onwards to Charlotte, but never quite repeated his Raptors form.
7. Tyler Hansbrough, 2013-15
An accomplished NCAA player, Hansbrough was the most likely Raptor ever to pull a knife out on court. “Psycho T” built his reputation in Indiana and when he came to Toronto in 2013-14, he was the exact same player. Relying on hustle more than timing, the face perennially contorted and the look of an escaped convict looking for a fix, Hansbrough used force on all occasions. No loose ball evaded him and others often just conceded the ball rather than challenge Hansbrough when he dove on the hardwood.
Nobody liked playing against him because aggressiveness was in his DNA and in the heat of the moment, he never distinguished between what was legal and illegal. In today’s NBA he wouldn’t last a quarter.
Of course, the lasting memory for me is Dwane Casey having Hansbrough check Paul Pierce in the playoffs, who promptly obliterated him with the Raptors losing in seven.
6. Reggie Slater, 1996-99
We remember those who were with us during our darkest times and Reggie Slater played 78 games during the 1997-98 season. Let me put it this way: I went to U of T and they let pretty much everyone in for their first year science and engineering classes. It’s a moment of celebration for those who get in. But the real work starts in first year and by the time the summer arrives, most students are culled as giants like MAT137 separate the wheat from the chaff. The 1997-98 season was that for fans of the Toronto Raptors. Many arrived but only some survived, and for those that did, Reggie Slater has a statue in their hearts.
Slater was all muscle with a penchant for the gather-and-rise move using both feet. He cleared space, dunked hard and you knew if Slater was in the area, you’d feel him. We made a big deal about 6’11” guys playing like guards – oooh, how amazing, so cool! GTFO! Slater was an undersized 6’7” center that took it and gave it on the chin against guys 6” taller. The man was like a rhino out there. Since the on-court product wasn’t earning us any respect, we had to settle for Slater instilling fear. Some say it’s better to be feared than respected. Some, not me. But I’ll take the fear if nothing else is on offer.
5. James Johnson, 2010-12, 2014-16
A guard in the top five? Better believe it. James Johnson was what they call a man’s man, unless that man was Dwane Casey. Johnson would have had a bigger imprint on the Raptors if it weren’t for Casey refusing to play him despite an underperforming and depleted bench. This irony in Casey’s decision was particularly strong because he was a self-styled defensive coach, and Johnson was nothing if not a good defender.
Johnson’s martial arts pedigree was well-known across the league and there weren’t too many who dared challenge him beyond a word or two. There are those who feel the need to be vocal in order to convey an image of strength. Johnson was not that, he knew that others knew that he could kick their ass, and that was all the talking that was needed.
Johnson’s monster dunk on Andre Dummond remains the stuff of Raptors legend, a dunk that, dare I say, is on par with any of Vince’s when it comes to veracity and aplomb.
4. Reggie Evans, 2009-11
Reggie Evans is on this list ahead of Hansbrough because Evans knew he had one skill and one skill only: his tenacity. Between 2009-11, Evans played 58 games for the Raptors while averaging 3.8 points, so he wasn’t in there for his offense. Evans was a man possessed on the glass and competed for every rebound on both ends. He averaged a ridiculous 11.5 rebounds while playing 27 minutes in 2011. Remember, this was the year after Chris Bosh left and the frontcourt had Andrea Bargnani playing 36 minutes a game, so rebounding was at a premium.
Evans filled the vacuum created by Bargnani’s lack of rebounding desire, and earned himself the crowd’s respect and adoration by trying hard when few were. More importantly, Evans motivated William Lou to create the “Reggie Evans Award” for the Raptors Reaction Podcast of the era, an honor given to the hardest working player on the Raptors.
3. Kevin Willis, 1998-2001
Willis came by way of Atlanta and Houston, and like Antonio Davis and Charles Oakley, was a well-established player by the time he came to Toronto. Willis was considered physical by 90s standards and that’s saying something. Willis was brought into address some of the cultural and professional issues after the 16-win 1997-98 season when Damon Stoudamire left and the team looked like it might just fold.
With the expansion label firmly stuck on the club, Willis helped to take the baby steps towards reestablishing the Raptors as an organization which professionals could take seriously. It may not sound like a big deal now, but veterans like Willis were the key ingredients that made Vince’s early years successful by providing cover and guidance to a young and inexperienced team. A decade later Dwane Casey brought in a literal rock into the locker-room. Kevin Willis was the figurative rock of those early years.
Did he have short arms like a T-Rex? Nobody ever measured them but they certainly looked a little undersized. Unlike the dinosaurs he did adapt to the environment and developed a short little hook which you could see a mile coming and still do nothing about.
2. Antonio Davis, 1999-2004
Imported from Indiana, Davis combined with Charles Oakley to form the first “twin towers” in Toronto. The Davis Brothers – Dale and Antonio – had furnished a ferocious reputation in Indiana after having survived the physical 90s going up against the Jordan-Bulls, Ewing-Knicks and Mourning-Heat. Davis brought that experience to Toronto and even got himself an All-Star selection playing alongside Vince Carter.
He always had a decent pick ‘n roll game and developed a short jumper which PnR specialist Mark Jackson was only too keen to utilize. Combined with Vince and Oakley, the Raptors could have been the first League Pass team ever. A highlight every other play, all with the 90s DNA still intact.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone ever mess with Antonio Davis. He didn’t talk much on the court, but knew how to carve space with his fierce elbows, wide upper body and always going up with two hands. If Davis got the ball deep, it was over and defenders knew not to challenge.
1. Charles Oakley, 1998-2001
Oakley once slapped Jeff McInnis at center court during shootaround because he owed him money. That’s the kind of guy he was, and that anger all stemmed from being traded away from the Bulls to the Knicks for Bill Cartwright. Michael Jordan hated the move. Everyone hated the move but it was the masterstroke of Jerry Krause that isn’t talked about enough.
Oakley arrived in Toronto as part of the Marcus Camby trade, and immediately embraced the role of mentor, antagonist, and became the spine of the club. He held Vince Carter to account off the court, was the vocal leader on the court, and became a brutal enforcer that added a dimension to the Raptors never seen before. He was Vince’s protector and elevated the team’s confidence simply by the way he carried himself.
He could’ve kicked Tie Domi’s ass.
There are many positive memories of Oakley, especially during the year he beat his former team in the playoffs. But in that same spring Allen Iverson stole his high dribble and hit a gut-wrenching three which relinquished home-court advantage days after the Raptors had stolen it in Philly. It still stings.
