SLAIGHT LOOKS TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT ON RAPTORS

          Raptors Majority Owner Allan Slaight was interviewed by
     Jim Proudfoot of the TORONTO STAR.  Slaight, on holding
     majority control of the team: "I'm committed and deeply
     involved.  I'm obsessively interested, actually.  Many have
     had a different impression, possibly because I'm a shy
     person, uncomfortable in the spotlight."  Slaight, whose
     deal to sell majority control to Isiah Thomas fell through,
     said that when Thomas "didn't produce the necessary
     financing, I took control of the Raptors off the market." 
     Slaight, on his relationship with Thomas: "There was nothing
     adversarial about it.  In fact, our relationship improved
     while we were negotiating."  With talks of sharing an arena
     with the Maple Leafs having stalled, Slaight said he would
     like a WNBA franchise for the Air Canada Centre in '99, and
     he hopes to secure the IHL Phoenix Roadrunners as a tenant,
     "with minority investment if we must" (TORONTO STAR, 9/10).