Only a handful of Raptors in franchise history have changed their jersey number while still with the team.
asserted
handful → change → team
The most famous switch was when Kyle Lowry, who wore No. 3 in his first season in Toronto, took No. 7 when Andrea Bargnani was traded to the New York Knicks in 2013.
asserted
Bargnani → wear → 2013
Fan favourite James Johnson wore No. 0 after he was acquired from the Chicago Bulls in 2011 but then switched to No. 2 the next season.
asserted
he → wear → .
(In his second stint with the team, Johnson wore No. 3, becoming the only Raptor to wear three different numbers).
asserted
Johnson → wear → numbers
This season, two Raptors are donning new numbers — Collin Murray-Boyles (from No. 12 to No. 30) and Jamal Shead (No. 23 to No. 1)
asserted
Raptors → don → .
Lowry didn’t start to chisel his place in Raptors lore until after his jersey swap, leading the franchise to its first playoff berth in six years against Brooklyn in 2014 and seven straight post-season appearances, including an NBA championship.
asserted
Lowry → start → championship
That iconic No. 7 will hang up in the rafter of Scotiabank Arena later this season as the second jersey the organization will retire.
asserted
organization → hang → jersey
Murray-Boyles and Shead can only hope that kind of magic will rub off on them.
asserted
kind → hope → them
The No. 30 for Murray-Boyles is connected to his older brother James, who in middle school scored 30 points in a game and earned the moniker “30 Murray.
asserted
who → connect → moniker
“Every number he had, I damn near had,” Murray-Boyles laughed, first revealing the number switch at NBA Summer League.
“He’s meant a lot; obviously, he was somebody to look up to when I was younger, showed me the ropes.
asserted
I → have → ropes
Murray-Boyles wore No. 30 at South Carolina before the Raptors selected him ninth overall in the 2025 NBA draft.
asserted
Raptors → wear → draft
He elected to wear No. 12 in his rookie campaign, a number he wore as a kid.
asserted
he → elect → kid
The 21-year-old’s Instagram handle “30murrayjr” is an ode to the number that has become a nickname for Murray-Boyles among those closest to him.
asserted
that → become → him
Murray-Boyles said he didn’t try to pry away No. 30 from former teammate Ochai Agbaji when he arrived in Toronto despite its family significance.
asserted
he → say → significance
“Just like how I have my story, my reason behind picking a number, I bet he does too,” said Murray-Boyles.
asserted
Boyles → pick → number
“That’s why I didn’t want to step on that.”
asserted
I → ’ → that
Jamal Shead’s connection to No. 1
Shead piled accolades upon accolades wearing No. 1 while starring at the University of Houston for four seasons.
asserted
connection → pile → seasons
From earning first-team All-American to winning the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and Big 12 Player of the Year awards, the six-foot-one point guard’s college achievements ran deep.
asserted
achievements → earn → awards
“Just trying to get my confidence back of being a guy, I guess,” Shead told the Star on the decision.
asserted
Shead → try → decision
“That number has a lot of memories with me, and I think the 23 was more of my childhood coming out (the number was made famous by Michael Jordan and LeBron James).
asserted
number → have → Jordan
But it’s just my number and I’m really glad I got to get it back.
asserted
I → ’ → it
When the backup point guard first arrived in Toronto after being selected 45th overall in the 2024 NBA draft, his number was already taken by former Raptors lottery pick Gradey Dick.
asserted
number → arrive → Dick
It forced him to settle for No. 23, a number in Shead’s family that everyone originally wore before eventually branching out to find their own numbers.
asserted
everyone → force → numbers
After the off-season blockbuster trade that sent Dick and Brandon Ingram to the Los Angeles Clippers for Kawhi Leonard, Shead knew he wanted the number back.
asserted
he → send → number
Jontay Porter got money for his switch
It’s not unheard of for players to offer money for jersey numbers.
asserted
players → get → numbers
Former Raptor Bruce Brown said he gave $10,000 to Porter to give up No. 11 to switch to No. 34 when he was acquired in 2024.
asserted
he → say → 2024
Shead said he never considered approaching Dick to offer money for the jersey number.
asserted
he → say → number
He was only an unheralded rookie on a three-year, $6.11 million contract after being drafted 45th overall in the 2024 NBA draft.
asserted
He → draft → draft
“I didn’t have X amount to even offer him,” Shead joked.
asserted
Shead → have → him
The Aporia
