José Calderón

The Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA's re-expansion... into Canada. When the Grizzlies relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, to become the Memphis Grizzlies in 2001, the Raptors became the only Canadian team in the NBA. They originally played their home games at the SkyDome, before moving to the Air Canada Centre in 1999. Like most expansion teams, the Raptors struggled in their early years; but after the acquisition of Vince Carter through a draft day trade in 1998, the team set league attendance records and made the NBA Playoffs in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Carter was instrumental in leading the team to a franchise high 47 wins and their first playoff series win in 2001, where they advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. During the 2002–03 and 2003–04 seasons, they failed to make significant progress and he was traded in 2004 to the New Jersey Nets.
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Villanueva de la Serena is a city in Badajoz Province, Extremadura, Spain. It has a population of 26,111 and forms part of a larger urban area with the neighbouring town of Don Benito. Founded in the thirteenth century as Aldeanueva de Medellín the city was an important centre for the Mesta... in the Middle Ages. It was the birthplace of Pedro de Valdivia who conquered Chile for the Spanish crown. Located in the county of Vegas Altas, itself is the main gate of La Serena another county of Extremadura separated by only 5 km from the neighbour Don Benito, forming those two, Villanueva de la Serena-Don Benito, an Urban agglomeration of population around 60.000 inhabitants, making one of the most important agricultural, industrial and services centre in the region and in the community of Extremadura. Merida and Badajoz is respectively 58 and 116 km from Villanueva de la Serena. The natural trail of Vegas del Guadiana or "Vía Verde de las Vegas del Guadiana y las Villuercas" begins in this city. Toronto Raptors player José Calderón was born in Villanueva de la Serena.
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