Former Raptor Reopens A Championship Debate Fans Will Remember

Former Raptors guard Lorenzo Brown makes a compelling case for why he should be awarded a 2018-19 NBA championship ring, despite the history of waived players missing out.

Lorenzo Brown says he still feels like he should have a championship ring from the Toronto Raptors’ 2018-19 title run.

Brown, now 36, spent the last seven seasons of his career in Europe after appearing in parts of four NBA seasons from 2013 to 2019. His final stop in the league came with Toronto, where he played 40 games over two seasons and appeared in 26 games during the Raptors’ championship season.

Even with that limited run, Brown was on the roster for part of the team’s title march. He averaged 8.9 minutes per game that season before Toronto waived him in early January, and he says that should count for something.

"They waived me in [January] that year," Brown said on the Run Your Race podcast. "I was there, bruh.

I was there working. I was just there working, man."

Co-host Theo Pinson reacted immediately and looked into the camera to push the Raptors to hand Brown a ring. Brown made it clear he was on board with that idea.

"C'mon, man. C'mon.

Facts. Need it."

Still, the chances of Brown getting one appear slim. He was not the only former Raptor from that season to miss out on a ring, with Jonas Valanciunas, C.J. Miles and Delon Wright also left without one after being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies during the year.

Those three had larger roles in Toronto than Brown did, but the bottom line remains the same: Brown was part of the roster during a championship season, even if he has nothing tangible to mark it.

In Other News...

Raptors Fans Have Every Right To Question Darko On Allen Graves

Scottie Barnes turned in a career-high 41 points, but the Raptors still came up short in a 121-114 loss to Orlando, and the bigger conversation afterward centered on rookie Allen Graves. Graves gave Toronto a strong first half and looked like one of the few players helping stabilize the game, even as the Magic stayed hot from deep and finished at 52.9 percent from three-point range.

What made the decision harder to ignore was how limited Graves became after the break. Darko Rajakovic tightened the rotation and leaned away from the rookie despite what he had shown early, leaving fans to wonder why a player who was clearly producing did not get a longer runway when Toronto needed help. [Read more 🡒]

Former Raptors Guard Just Lost A Shot At An NBA Return

The Thunders injury news created a ripple that briefly pointed Ochai Agbaji toward another NBA opportunity. Oklahoma City announced that All-Star center Chet Holmgren will miss at least two months with a small patellar tendon tear in his right knee, and the roster opening immediately put Agbaji in the mix as a possible addition.

But the plan changed quickly. Oklahoma City ultimately decided not to move forward with the signing and is now searching for a center to fill the vacancy, leaving Agbaji to keep looking for his next chance after four NBA seasons with multiple teams. For a former Raptors guard trying to stay in the league, it was a near miss at exactly the wrong time. [Read more 🡒]

Raptors Let This NBA Cup Matchup Slip Away For One Frustrating Reason

The Raptors had a chance to bank a useful NBA Cup win at Scotiabank Arena, but Orlando kept finding answers and walked out with a 121-114 victory. Franz Wagner set the tone for the Magic with 26 points and a career-high 11 assists, while Desmond Bane matched him with 26 points on efficient shooting, giving Toronto a steady dose of shot-making and playmaking to chase all night.

Wendell Carter Jr. added another layer of trouble for the Raptors with at least 20 points and seven rebounds, helping Orlando hold firm even without Paolo Banchero. For Toronto, it was the kind of loss that stings because the opportunity was there, but the Magic were sharper in the moments that mattered and left the Raptors to sort through a frustrating missed chance at home. [Read more 🡒]