Half man, half amazing.
The Toronto Raptors retired Vince Carter’s No. 15 on Saturday at halftime of their matchup with the Sacramento Kings. The Raptors went on to win 131-128. Carter, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in October, became the first Raptors player to have his jersey retired by the franchise, which came into existence in 1995.
An emotional and touching tribute montage highlighting Carter’s time with the franchise started the festivities, which lasted more than 30 minutes.
There were two opening speakers, including Raptors president Masai Ujiri, who said that Carter “taught us how to fly… He taught us how to dream to fly.” Then the man of the hour, Carter, took the microphone to give thanks to the organization that drafted him, the fans and the city.
“I’m honored we get to share this moment together finally,” Carter said. “Quiet. Listen to me. When that jersey goes up, it’s not just Carter 15 going up, it’s all of us going up. The memories that had been created for six years, however you view it, go up tonight. I hope and pray we enjoy OUR jersey being retired, forever, together. Thank you, Toronto. Thank you.”
There was also time for a few stories, including one about the renown rapper Drake, as a youngster, catching an armband that Carter threw into the crowd during a game.
Finally, Carter’s No. 15 was raised to the rafters.
In addition to the ceremony during the game, the Raptors also unveiled a mural of Carter outside of the arena.
The No. 5 overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft out of the University of North Carolina, Carter was traded to the Raptors on draft night in exchange for Antawn Jamison, his college teammate. Though his debut was delayed due to the lockout in 1999, where they only played a 50-game schedule, Carter immediately became a fan favorite and a household name once he got on the court.
Carter won Rookie of the Year in 1999 and emerged into true super stardom during his sophomore campaign. He was named an All-Star for the first time and stole the show at All-Star Weekend in Oakland with what remains arguably the best Slam Dunk Contest performance of all time. A few months later, he led the Raptors to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
In his third season, the Raptors won 47 games, which remained a franchise record until 2014, and Carter led the team to the Eastern Conference Semifinals against Alan Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers. There, he dueled with Iverson and the series went to a winner-take-all Game 7. With some scrutiny, Carter decided to attend his college graduation the morning of Game 7, then flew back to Philadelphia for the game later that night. He shot 6 of 18 and missed a potential game-winning shot in the last five seconds as the Raptors fell by one.
Looking back at it 23 years later, it was the beginning of the end for Carter in Toronto. His relationship with the fans and city never truly recovered from his controversial decision to attend his graduation. He spent three-and-a-half more injury-plagued seasons with the Raptors before he was traded to the New Jersey Nets in 2004. For years, he was booed by Raptors fans any time he returned north of the boarder.
It was not until 2014, when Carter returned to Toronto with the Memphis Grizzlies, that the fans finally changed their tune toward him. The team honored Carter with a tribute video as part of their 20th anniversary celebration, and though the crowd initially started to boo, it eventually turned into a standing ovation that brought Carter to tears on the court.
“It was a great feeling,” Carter said at the time. “I couldn’t write it any better.”
Carter spent six-plus seasons with the Raptors and accumulated 9,420 points, which remains fourth on the franchise’s all-time scoring list. In addition to winning Rookie of the Year, he made five All-Star teams and two All-NBA appearances during his time in Toronto. Carter played a remarkable 22 NBA seasons, taking the court for the final time as a member of the Atlanta Hawks in 2020 at the age of 43.
