Imagine being a rookie who gets the chance to play under his favorite player, but the crowd starts booing. That’s how the journey for Damon Stoudamire was during the 1995 draft. The Toronto Raptors with their first-round pick and 7th overall selected the Wildcats alum. But the fans wanted UCLA senior Ed O’Bannon, the Most Outstanding Player after winning the NCAA championship. But with Isiah Thomas at the helm, Stoudamire had a believer but it changed in 1998.

After the dispute with the new management, Zeke left his role as part owner and executive vice president. “To see someone every day to have dialogue with him and then all of a sudden boom it’s not there that day it messed me up I’m not going to lie.” Stoudamire reflected on his and Isiah Thomas’ departure in the upcoming documentary series, Raptors Delight. The snippet also showcased a throwback clip of the Mighty Mouse not feeling the warmth of the new front office.

A young Stoudamire spoke to the media. “I don’t think that Glenn has tried to do anything personally but that’s just my opinion. I don’t know what goes on I don’t know what he’s thinking.” The 1996 ROTY criticized then-GM Glen Grunwald. “Or me to have to come back and play in front of all the all the fans who at that time thought I was gone. Now you know I got to put up with mixed reactions and criticism. You know to me that showed me right there that they didn’t care about me.”

As per Stoudamire, there was a trade finalized but everything changed at the last minute. That’s why he had to play the game and face mixed reactions. Eventually, he would leave the Raptors and play for Portland, but his career was never the same. In the snippet, he can be seen accepting his “immature” decision to leave the Canadian franchise.

“I had a lot of immaturity at that time you know and so Glenn’s job is to find the best deal for the Toronto Raptors is not to appease Damon Stoudamire.” But there was a reason why the 51-year-old felt differently after Isiah Thomas left.

Isiah Thomas and his impact on Damon Stoudamire

Being a rookie, everyone is hopeful for being the #1 draft. But the current Georgia Tech coach had different plans. He still had hopes even if he slipped down the draft order. All because his favorite player growing up was the 2x NBA Champion who was part of the front office for the Raptors.

“I was coming out of the draft that year, I was saying to himself, if I slide to number seven, he gotta pick me. He gotta see the similarities in our games, I know he had to pick me,” Stoudamire continued in a previous interview when he was playing for Portland. “To be able to walk into somebody’s office that you idolized and emulated as a kid and just being able to talk to him, pick his brain, that’s probably the best experience I’ve had in the NBA.”

At the time, he felt his main support was taken away. Plus the constant mixed signals from the new front office made it more difficult. That’s why he took the decision of following Isiah Thomas’ decision and left the Raptors.