The 2001–02 NBA season was the Raptors' seventh season in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the Raptors acquired All-Star center and 2-time NBA Champion Hakeem Olajuwon from the Houston Rockets. Throughout the season, All-Star guard and team captain Vince Carter struggled with a left knee injury, and managed to play just 60 games. Despite the injury, Carter averaged 24.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game, and was still voted to play in the 2002 NBA All-Star Game, his third consecutive All-Star selection, but did not play due to his knee injury. The Raptors played solid basketball with a 29–21 record at the All-Star break. However, the team then suffered a 13-game losing streak, losing 17 of their next 18 games. They would then post a nine-game winning streak between March and April, winning 12 of their final 14 games of the season. Despite losing Carter for the rest of the season and the playoffs, the Raptors finished with a 42–40 record, and finished third place in the Central Division, which allowed them to clinch a playoff spot, behind the efforts of their other team captain Antonio Davis, who averaged 14.5 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. In addition, second-year forward Morris Peterson showed improvement averaging 14.0 points per game, while Alvin Williams provided the team with 11.8 points, 5.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game, Keon Clark contributed 11.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, and Olajuwon provided with 7.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. In the Eastern Conference First Round of the playoffs, the Raptors lost to the Detroit Pistons in five hard-fought games, losing Game 5 on the road by just three points, 85–82. Following the season, Olajuwon retired after eighteen seasons in the NBA. Meanwhile, Chris Childs re-signed as a free agent with his former team, the New Jersey Nets, while Clark signed with the Sacramento Kings, Tracy Murray was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, and three-point specialist Dell Curry also retired.

NBA draft

Roster

Regular season

Standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Playoffs

Game log

Player statistics

Ragular season

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

Playoffs

Award winners

Transactions