How Tyreke Key rose from Raptors 905 open tryouts to leading the team’s next generation - Toronto Star

The 28-year-old is the oldest and longest-tenured player on the G League roster in Mississauga.

Raptors guard Tyreke Key shoots over Detroit Pistons forward Duncan Robinson in an NBA pre-season game last month.

Raptors 905 guard Tyreke Key has learned to embrace the identity preached by the organization’s coaching staff, whether it’s in the NBA or the G League. 

It’s partly why the 28-year-old is the oldest and longest-tenured player on the Raptors 905 roster. He was rewarded with an NBA contract by the Raptors in the dying days of the 2025-26 season in April, and has returned to be a leader for their minor-league team.

Key knows the physical style of play the brass wants could lead to foul trouble, and the Raptors lead the NBA with 27.9 a game. But it also makes them difficult to play against.

“We don’t (foul on every possession, but) not everyone plays physical like the Raptors and the 905 do,” he told the Star Wednesday after practice at the Mississauga Sports and Entertainment Centre.

“That’s our standard. I think we play a very different style and not a lot of teams are used to that physicality and the pressure that all of our players bring every night.”

The annual Raptors 905 tryout draws dreamers, diehards — and the delusional. Three hours later,