They Bred Raptors

On June 24, 1995, the newly founded Toronto Raptors selected B. J. Armstrong as the first pick of the NBA expansion draft. On the surface, the twenty-seven-year-old point guard was an ideal choice in the draft, which allowed the league’s newest franchises to select “unprotected” players from existing teams to build out their rosters. Armstrong had just entered his basketball prime, was injury free, and made a reasonable salary as a dependable starter who had played all eighty-two games the previous season. The Chicago Bulls, who chose not to include Armstrong among their eight “protected” players, would have happily retained the guard, but they were also eager to shore up their front court, having recently lost in the second round of the playoffs to the Orlando Magic and the unstoppable Shaquille O’Neal.

At first, Armstrong said all the right things. “I’m looking forward to the challenge,” he told reporters the night before the expansion draft. Just a few days...