Vince Carter will become the first Toronto Raptors player to get his jersey retired when it happens during the franchise’s 30th anniversary season, which kicks off next month.
TSN’s Josh Lewenberg first reported Monday morning that the Raptors will retire the former Air Canada’s No. 15 on Nov. 2 when the Sacramento Kings visit Toronto.
The move was not unexpected, Carter was the first superstar to play for the franchise and led Toronto on its first trips to the playoffs, including famously missing a potential series-winner against Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers in 2001 that would have pulled Toronto into the Eastern Conference final.
But his messy exit from the franchise after it had become a bit of a gong show led to tense relations with Raptors fans for many years following his 2004 exit to the New Jersey Nets. That included Carter starring in a Nets playoff upset series win against the Raptors.
Eventually, things thawed and Carter was moved to tears a decade later when the former all-star, then playing for the Memphis Grizzlies, received a tribute video and a standing ovation from the Toronto crowd.
We covered the entire Carter saga — his thrilling arrival, spectacular rise and slow-moving free-fall, plus everything that happened since — in a special feature during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, which started during the 25th season of Raptors basketball.
A couple of years earlier, Carter had told Postmedia that he was thrilled to reach an important milestone while facing the Raptors. Carter had scored his 25,000th point in a game with the Atlanta Hawks vs. the Raptors.
“To share it with that organization meant a lot to me,” Carter responded to my question. “I don’t know what it meant to some of the other people who may hold a grudge for whatever reason, but I’m truly thankful that it was against them and all those fans got a chance to witness it,” Carter said.
“It’s just awesome. I think it makes some of the fans when I was a rookie, who witnessed my first point, I think it makes them feel old now.”
Carter never seemed to get why any fans held any hostility toward him, even though he regained his superstar status almost immediately upon rejoining the Nets. The jersey retirement will come just shy of 20 years after his trade to New Jersey.
Carter scored the first basket at what is now Scotiabank Arena, when it was known as the Air Canada Centre. His earlier games as a Raptor had been split at what was then SkyDome and at Maple Leaf Gardens while the new building was completed.
Carter, 47, will be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Oct. 13 by his friend, cousin and former Raptors teammate Tracy McGrady.
Carter had reflected after another Hawks-Raptors game, this one in late 2019, how it felt to be in Oakland with McGrady doing media work as the Raptors won the first NBA title in franchise history.
“Being a part of the first playoff win (the following season). Being a part of the first playoff series. You think of all these things and the ultimate goal of championships,” Carter said.
“When we won that first series (also against the Knicks) it was like, ‘OK, we’re going to the second round.’ And I miss that shot in Game 7 and it’s like, ‘Oh we could have, you don’t know …” Carter said.
“Because obviously the team that we lost to ended up in the Finals that year. The Sixers played the Lakers, so, it was just so close. So to now actually be there, I remember, with about a minute or so left in the game, I turned to Tracy and he turned to me: ‘I can’t believe this is about to happen,’” the two Raptors and NBA legends said to each other that June night.
“Like the reality, things that Tracy and I talked about (as Raptors teammates), sitting in hotel rooms arguing about whatever we argued about. Video games at the time we played, about trying to figure it out and it actually happened. So it was pretty cool to actually be there and not have to see it on TV,” Carter said.
Carter played for eight teams in his record-setting 22 seasons, but will always be remembered as a Raptor. The expansion-era teams mostly flat-out stunk, but Carter made them big box office. He won perhaps the greatest slam dunk contest ever as a Raptor, made five all-star games in a row, many as the overall top vote-getter, won rookie of the year and made three all-NBA appearances while with Toronto. He still leads the franchise in points per game.
TSN reported that the decision to retire Carter’s jersey was not a slam dunk at first because “there were ranking members of the organization” who thought Kyle Lowry should be honoured first.
“But (Lowry’s) retirement is at least a few years off. With Carter’s Hall of Fame induction coinciding with the Raptors’ 30th season, the timing felt right and there was a strong push made on his behalf. It gained steam in May when the Nets announced that they would be retiring Carter’s jersey,” TSN reported.
That it will come against Sacramento, a team that now has DeMar DeRozan, who could also be honoured one day, made it a fitting date.
Interestingly, Toronto, under Masai Ujiri, was set to bring Carter back as a player in the summer of 2017 before Sacramento offered Carter significantly more money.
CARTER’S BIGGEST MOMENTS
Feb. 9, 1999: 22 points on 69% shooting and two blocks as the home fans get their first taste of Carter’s aerial exploits following NBA lockout.
Feb. 21, 1999: Scores first two points — and 27 in all — in first game at Air Canada Centre, a win over Vancouver.
May 5, 1999: Just 14 points in a season-ending win over Cleveland, but tells the fans afterward Toronto will make playoffs for the first time the following year.
Jan. 14, 2000: Scores 47 points in a win over Milwaukee and rival Ray Allen. He’d score 48 against them in another win 10 months later.
Feb. 27, 2000: Scores a franchise-record 51 points against Phoenix in a game broadcast across North America and parts of the world.
March 19, 2000: Throws down a two-handed dunk over future Raptor Hakeem Olajuwon for game-winning bucket against Houston, scores 37 in all.
April 10, 2000: Records his lone triple-double as a Raptor — 31 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists — in a win over Cleveland that helped assure a post-season berth.
April 26, 2000: With Toronto down a game in a best-of-five against New York, scores 27 points in a tough one-point loss at Gotham.
May 2000: Scores 32 and then 27 points to eliminate the Knicks, then 35 in a win to open Round 2 against Philadelphia. The Raptors wouldn’t win another series until 2016 and didn’t win another series opener until 2018. Carter scored a franchise playoff record 50 points in a Game 3 win, 39 to stave off elimination in Game 6, but shot just 6-for-18 in Game 7, including his iconic miss at the buzzer.
Nov. 10, 2001: Hits eight three-pointers and scores 43 points in a win at Utah.
arch 19, 2002: Gets hurt in a blowout loss against Minnesota, misses final 14 games of season plus the playoffs.
Oct. 29, 2003: After missing most of previous season, opens 2003-04 with a 39-point throwback against the Nets.
2007 playoffs: Returns to torture the Raptors as a member of the New Jersey Nets, averaging a series-best 25 points, while shooting 47% on three-pointers while being relentlessly booed every time he touched the ball. Earlier that year, he had hit a ridiculous long bomb to sink the Raptors in front of his formerly adoring fans.
Nov. 19, 2014: Just shy of 10 years following his trade, Carter is finally warmly welcomed back to Toronto. The cheers following a video tribute move Carter to tears. He was still booed when he touched the ball, but finally, it felt different.