Sunday evening was a bit bittersweet for Raptors Nation. On one hand, we celebrated the great news that Scottie Barnes earned his spot as a 2026 NBA All-Star reserve — a well-deserved honor. On the other, there was a glaring omission: Brandon Ingram, another blossoming star for Toronto, who's had a fantastic campaign so far but just missed the final cut.
The list included familiar Raptors faces like Norman Powell and Pascal Siakam — a big shoutout to both, especially Powell, who’s fought hard to reach this milestone in his long career.
While that night spotlighted Scottie Barnes as the Raptors' face, Barnes seemed pretty down to hear Ingram didn’t make it, and head coach Darko Rajakovic also stepped up to support his midrange maestro after the news. Now, while being named to the All-Star game is a great honor, we just got word of another venture where the Raptors' two key pieces are the stars, front and center, together.
Raptors' star duo, Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram, to be cover stars for SLAM Magazine
Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram will grace the front of SLAM Magazine 260 as one of the featured cover editions, alongside 76ers duo Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, Pistons All-Star Jalen Duren, and UConn star Sarah Strong. With a fitting tagline that reads "COLD FRONT" and a caption that states "In the dead of winter, Toronto is alive again. Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram are leading the Raptors' resurgence..." the recognition for Toronto's two top stars couldn’t be more justified in this project.
In the dead of winter, Toronto is alive again. Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram are leading the Raptors’ resurgence as they cover SLAM 260.https://t.co/ZTt9wVH6m1 pic.twitter.com/Oe9T0I6TlJ
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) February 3, 2026
Of course, in the post-Kawhi Raptors outlook, the remaining 2019 title squad graced the cover of SLAM 227 with the "AFTER OURS" tagline — a throwback that would undoubtedly give any die-hard Raptors fan a heavy dose of nostalgia. Now in 2026, the new generation of Raptors' greats is finally getting their due praise as league stars on a massive platform like SLAM Magazine. While SLAM is a basketball magazine at it's roots, I see it as a blend of fashion, sneakers, pop culture, and entertainment too — how it all intersects with the hoops world.
I still think, from a mainstream perspective, stars like Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram can get swept under the rug in favor of some of the more well-known, household names. But from both a talent standpoint and their streetwear appeal, people often overlook the boys up north and tend to forget just how skilled and influential they really are.
I think it definitely helps that the Raptors are in the midst of a revival year (as the SLAM caption indicates), coming back from several seasons of relative mediocrity in the post-title era. They are now a top-five Eastern Conference squad and a likely playoff contender — giving them the ammunition to warrant top billing, like this opportunity to have their stars grace the SLAM cover.
As for the reaction within the Raptors locker room, it seems the two stars had no bigger cheerleader from inside the organization than head coach Darko Rajakovic, who marked the moment by handing out SLAM cover t-shirts to everyone in the Raptors gym.