From Zero to Hero: Four Toronto Raptor success stories

The Toronto Raptors have had players leave and find greener pastures elsewhere, but which ones found a home in Toronto and blossomed?

For many players in the NBA, the team that you start your career with isn’t necessarily the team that you’ll have the most success with. In the early part of their history, the Toronto Raptors drafted many players who underachieved or seemed destined to be busts; these same players would leave, only to find great success elsewhere.

But the opposite is also true.

In special circumstances, the stars aligned and a player would come to Toronto, downtrodden, often at the lowest point in their careers— overlooked, labeled misfits or never given a fair chance— and everything just clicked. In the blink of an eye, these zeroes became cult heroes.

Here are four Toronto Raptors success stories, guaranteed to melt the coldest heart and inspire the uninspired. These are players who, to different degrees, found their identities in this city and flipped the narrative on their respective careers.