Toronto Raptors: Top 5 small forwards in franchise history
By Shaun Suares
Raptors small forward No. 4: Anthony Parker
One way to audition for a starting role on an NBA team might be to hit a game-winner against them. This is precisely how Parker made an impression on the franchise in a preseason game when the Raptors played against Maccabi Tel Aviv in October 2005.
With the game tied at 103 apiece, Parker hit the go-ahead jumper with less than a second remaining, finishing with 24 points and leading Maccabi to a 105-103 victory at the Air Canada Centre.
By the time the Raptors signed him in 2006, Parker had already established himself in Europe, as a EuroLeague champion and a two-time EuroLeague MVP. This was his second stint in the NBA and he made his mark early as a 3-and-D player for Toronto.
Parker anchored Toronto’s defense that clinched the best regular-season record in franchise history (until that point) and locked in their first trip to the playoffs in five years. He made an impact being the primary defender on Vince Carter in the first 2 games of Round 1 of the 2007 NBA playoffs before eventually getting eliminated by Jason Kidd and crew.
Anthony Parker had a nice career with the Toronto Raptors
In his 3 seasons in Toronto, he averaged double-digit points while shooting a scorching 42% from beyond the arc. By the end of the 2007-2008 season, he ranked seventh in NBA’s all-time leaders in three-point field goal percentage. He currently sits at No. 33 on the NBA all-Time Rankings for 3-point percentage with an impressive 40.4 percent.
Parker was eventually named by ESPN as one of the best EuroLeague players to have ever graced the NBA – a title most long-time Raptors fans would have a hard time disagreeing with.