Toronto Raports vice-president Isiah Thomas poses with a Raptors basketball in his office in a Dec.9, 1994 photo.Toronto is about to finally pull back the curtains on the first NBA all-star game ever to be played outside of the United States. It's an idea that had its beginnings with a pencil and a blank sheet of paper more than 20 years ago, when then-GM Thomas and owners drew up a wish list for the fledgeling franchise. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn