Charles Oakley impressed by Raptors, growth of Toronto basketball

Before the Toronto Raptors experienced the lows of the Rob Babcock era and the highs of winning a championship, Butch Carter and Lenny Wilkens helped this franchise make their first playoff appearances on the back of a veteran-laden roster. A key contributor during three of those seasons was the always quotable Charles Oakley.

Oakley, who was traded to the Raptors in the Marcus Camby swap, averaged 7.9 points and 8.0 rebounds per game in three seasons north of the border. More importantly, he played a key role in getting Toronto to the postseason twice during his three seasons with the club.

While he is most known for his pre-Raptors career as a confidant of Michael Jordan and enforcer on Pat Riley’s New York Knicks, Oakley seems to look back on his time in Canada fondly.

In an interview with Katie Heindl of Yahoo Sports to promote his new book The Last Enforcer, Oakley was very complimentary of what the Raptors franchise has evolved into. Oak credits the addition of Kawhi Leonard and that 2019 title run for turning Toronto into one of the league’s most reputable organizations.

“It’s amazing,” Oakley said. “When they won the championship, I came to three games up there. Once they got Kawhi Leonard, he was just like the lead singer in The Temptations. He just did so much.”

Charles Oakley is impressed by what the Toronto Raptors have become.

Oakley took the time to shout out Kyle Lowry, calling him a “little bulldog.” While Lowry has officially passed the point guard reins to Fred VanVleet, Oakley was very complimentary of what the All-Star has done this season, with his “mental toughness” and “desire” standing out.

“He came in playing backup and now he’s the starting point guard,” Oakley said. “Him and Kyle were the one-two punch last year, now he’s making the All-Star team. That’s showing how much work he put in.”

Oakley helped Vince Carter and the Raptors make their first postseason appearance and win their first playoff series in back-to-back years. Carter and Wilkens constructed a team full of aging veterans, and Oakley was one of the more battle-scarred vets in that group.

Nonetheless, his scrappy style of play was effective, and it seems like a good chunk of the Raptors’ fanbase is appreciative of Oakley’s efforts.

Oakley might not have had the longest or most jaw-dropping Raptors career, but he provided veteran mentorship, tremendous defense, and quality rebounding for three seasons during his 18-year career. Like Jalen Rose before him, he seems to respect what Toronto did for him in his career.