The 1999–2000 NBA season was the Raptors' fifth season in the National Basketball Association. The Raptors received the fifth overall pick in the 1999 NBA draft from the Denver Nuggets, and selected high school basketball star Jonathan Bender, but soon traded him to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Antonio Davis, and signed free agents Muggsy Bogues, and three-point specialist Dell Curry. In their first full season playing at the Air Canada Centre, the Raptors got off to a 12–6 start, but then lost five of their next six games. However, the team got better as the season progressed, winning seven straight games between February and March, and holding a 26–21 record at the All-Star break. At mid-season, the team traded Alvin Williams to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Danny Fortson, but the trade was voided due to Williams failing his physical exam; Williams only played 55 games this season due to knee injuries. The Raptors improved and qualified for their first playoff appearance with a 45–37 record, finishing third in the Central Division. Second-year star Vince Carter led the team in scoring, averaging 25.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. He also won the Slam Dunk Contest in Oakland, California, and was selected for the 2000 NBA All-Star Game, which was his first ever All-Star appearance, while his cousin Tracy McGrady provided the team with 15.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game, and Doug Christie contributed 12.4 points, 4.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game. In addition, Davis averaged 11.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, while Kevin Willis provided with 7.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game off the bench, and Charles Oakley contributed 6.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Carter also finished in tenth place in Most Valuable Player voting, while McGrady finished tied in third place in Sixth Man of the Year voting, and in fifth place in Most Improved Player voting. However, in the postseason, the Raptors were swept in the Eastern Conference First Round by the New York Knicks in three straight games. Following the season, McGrady was traded to the Orlando Magic, while Christie was dealt to the Sacramento Kings, Dee Brown signed as a free agent with the Magic, and head coach Butch Carter was fired. Carter was fired on June 13, 2000, after the organization decided they wanted a return of "stability" to the franchise. In his last season as coach of the Raptors, he invited friend and rap star Percy Miller, otherwise known as Master P, to the pre-season training camp to try out for the team. Carter claimed it was an attempt to deflect media attention away from Vince Carter, but was criticized for trying to draw attention to himself and his friendship with Miller. Carter also released a book where he claimed that his coach at Indiana, Bobby Knight, had launched into a racist tirade during practice, which Knight denied. Carter was involved in public feuds with stars Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady, limiting their minutes because he didn't want to burn them out in their young careers. Carter also had an off-court feud with his ex-wife. During the opening round of the 2000 NBA Playoffs against the Knicks, Knicks center and former Raptors player Marcus Camby, who had played under Carter during the second half of the 1997–98 season, made what Carter considered an inflammatory remark about Carter by calling him a "liar", and Carter decided to file a $5-million defamation suit against him for what he said were inaccurate statements. NBA Deputy Commissioner Russ Granik believed it was a frivolous suit and criticized Carter for filing it, which led to Carter dropping the suit. In his last few weeks as Raptors coach, Butch Carter made attempts to ouster friend Glen Grunwald as General Manager and was cited as one of the reasons why Tracy McGrady decided to leave the team and sign with the Orlando Magic. The Raptors organization, players, and fans all had decided that Carter's off-court issues were too much of a distraction for the team going forward. This season saw the Raptors change their uniforms adding side panels to their jerseys and shorts. The home jerseys remained in use until 2006, while the road jerseys lasted until 2003, where the city name "Toronto" was replaced with the team name "Raptors" on the front of their jerseys.

NBA draft

Roster

Regular season

Standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

17,711 16,389 15,517 16,658 13,157 16,661 14,273 12,134 16,368 18,676 18,718 13,624 19,771 12,251 16,862 15,787 18,455 15,162 17,963 18,163 15,774 15,421 13,481 19,800 18,677 19,763 14,135 16,285 16,490 19,800 19,800 14,452 19,188 13,610 17,241 19,246 18,717 20,278 16,124 19,800 17,582 19,800 22,104 19,048 18,717 16,636 17,710 19,800 18,345 17,570 19,800 19,763 19,800 19,800 18,232 17,198 19,437 19,193 20,516 18,176 17,317 17,072 19,800 19,985 19,876 19,800 20,753 19,800 19,902 20,562 18,493 23,799 19,800 19,800 19,499 22,137 19,800 18,345 19,800 19,800 19,710 16,545

Playoffs

Game log

19,763 19,763 19,996

Vince Carter

Vince Carter was selected to an All-Star Team for the first time, and showcased his athleticism and dunking abilities in the 2000 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. He won the contest by performing an array of dunks including a 360° windmill, a between the legs, and an "elbow dunk." Though he has not competed in the dunk contest since, Carter has been voted into the Eastern Conference NBA All-Star Team starting lineup several times through fan balloting. As of 2024, Carter's 788 regular season field goals remains the Raptors franchise record.

Player statistics

Regular season

† Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Raptors only.

Playoffs

Award winners

Transactions