Coming into the 2010-11 NBA season, the Toronto Raptors were facing a difficult rebuild following the departure of star player, Chris Bosh. With a team full of mismatched parts, young talent and malcontent personalities, team president and general manager Bryan Colangelo swung a trade for Leandro Barbosa. He quickly established himself as a fan favourite, bringing excitement to a reeling fanbase starving for positives.
Knowledgeable Toronto fans had always liked Barbosa from afar. Prior to his arrival, The Brazilian Blur had established himself as an entertaining sparkplug off the bench for the Phoenix Suns.