Raptors: Bringing back the Toronto Huskies jerseys for 2021 are a must

Five decades before the Toronto Raptors made their NBA debut, the Toronto Huskies made their debut in the Basketball Association of America (BAA). While they lasted just one season, the Huskies remain a landmark achievement and milestone in the history of Canadian sports.

Before a 1948 merger between the BAA and National Basketball League (NBL) that formed the modern NBA, Toronto was one of the cities selected to help professional basketball get off of the ground.

Their first game was on November 1, 1946 against the rival New York Knickerbockers, who morphed into the New York Knicks we all know and love (hate) today. The Knicks won 68-66.

As part of the league’s Diamond anniversary, the Knicks and Raptors will face off in Toronto on November 1, paying homage to the game that got pro basketball off of the ground. Sporting Raptors red and black just might not make sense for such an occasion. A wardrobe change is in order.

The Huskies had a very distinctive white and blue look, perhaps in an attempt to mimic the Maple Leafs, and it made for a uniform combination that is both simplistic and yet snazzy. The Raptors need to either bring back these throwbacks as an alternate jersey this year or create a City Edition jersey that features the blue prominently in some way.

The Toronto Raptors should bring back the Toronto Huskies jerseys.

While the Huskies lasted just one season, due in part to dwindling attendance, an iffy on-court product, and a myriad of ownership issues that deserve further examination than one paragraph, that team has a place in NBA history forever.

The Raptors have won the Huskies alternates in the past, complete with a different court design, so this isn’t too radical of an idea. Even if you remove the historical significance, these are some clean uniforms that deserve some shine as an alternate.

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The Raptors have one of the more unique color combinations in the game right now, and their tradition of creating alternates based around either Drake’s classic black and gold scheme or the original purple Raptors colors usually has them looking sharp on the court.

However, it might be time to add a bit of nostalgia to the uniform rotation, all while showing an appreciation for the forerunners of Canadian basketball.

Unlike most of their rivals, who have a history dating back to the 40s and 50s, the relative neophytes in the Raptors don’t have a huge reservoir of throwbacks and franchise icons to lean back on. Even with that, it was the Huskies that officially got this league going, and their place in history could warrant a spiffy jersey.