The parting of Isiah Thomas and the Toronto Raptors

Leaving the Toronto Raptors after three years on the job was not part of the plan for Isiah Thomas.

Thomas, a 12-time all-star and two-time NBA champion during a long career with the Detroit Pistons, had joined the Raptors organization as both a team executive and part owner.

The future looked bright for him in the city where the eventual, long-term goal was to deliver a championship.

"When I got here, I came here to do a job," Thomas told reporters on Nov. 21, 1997, a day after formally tendering his resignation to the team — via fax, according to a Toronto Star report.

"I was excited about being a partner ... I was excited about building a franchise."

'I've given you my heart and soul'

Yet his excitement had sagged like a deflated basketball, following a fraying of his relationship with the Raptors in the wake of a failed attempt to buy a controlling interest in the team.

And that's why Thomas found himself leaving the organization he'd helped assemble — a tough end to his Toronto story, from his perspective.

"I've given you my heart and soul," said Thomas.

'The city will miss him'

Despite the drama, Allan Slaight, the broadcast mogul who held a majority ownership stake in the team, said it was time for the Raptors to move on.

"The city will miss him," Slaight said. "He does leave behind, on and off the court, a group of bright, talented, committed people and I have nothing but confidence in the future of this franchise."

That prediction might have seemed optimistic at a time when the Raptors were in the midst of a 16-66 season, which also saw star player Damon Stoudamire traded away and the head coach quit in protest over that same trade.

But things would get better: The team would add a young player named Vince Carter to its ranks in the next NBA draft and the Raptors would see their first-ever playoff berth two seasons after Thomas left town.

Eventually, Toronto would get its championship, but not for another two decades.