Kitchener-Waterloo·New
Kitchener, Ont., resident Luke Swinson, a visual artist with Anishinaabe roots and a member of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation, created a logo the Toronto Raptors will use during their annual Indigenous heritage game tonight.
‘At the heart of it is Indigenous joy and its many forms,’ Luke Swinson says of designCBC News
· Posted: Jan 06, 2025 11:12 AM EST | Last Updated: January 6
Indigenous artist Luke Swinton created this logo for the NBA’s Raptors. It was unveiled Jan. 2 and will be used during the team’s annual Indigenous heritage game tonight in Toronto. (Luke Swinton/Toronto Raptors)An Indigenous logo created by a Kitchener, Ont.-based artist will be featured during tonight’s Toronto Raptors game.
Luke Swinson, a visual artist with Anishinaabe roots and a member of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation, created the logo and called it “a big one.”
“There’s a lot to say about this design, but at the heart of it is Indigenous joy and its many forms,” Swinson said in a post on Instagram.
“Basketball is integral to so many Indigenous communities across Turtle Island and I really felt the drive to design something Indigenous Raptors fans would be proud of.”
In a media release from the NBA team, Swinson said being able to represent what’s important to him and his community “through such an iconic and recognizable logo is incredible.”
A representative for the Raptors and Swinson declined interview requests.
“Growing up, seeing this kind of representation would have filled me with such pride and inspiration, and I hope to share that feeling with Indigenous youth of today,” Swinson said in the release.
The logo is in the shape of a basketball and shows two Indigenous people playing the sport.
Below the two people, there is a river flowing over hills as the sun sets and an eagle flies above. As part of the logo, there are also four sacred medicines — tobacco, sage, cedar and sweetgrass — that represent different traditions and ceremonies.
Meet Luke Swinson, an Anishinaabe artist who’s behind the creation of the Indigenous-inspired logo for tonight’s game 🧡 https://t.co/dxM0OtHcg3 pic.twitter.com/QS6gqhYiSM
—@RaptorsThe logo will be featured in several ways during the team’s annual Indigenous heritage game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
A special half-time performance will feature Madison Noon, an Indigenous member of the North Side Crew.
