The Toronto Raptors officially announced its plans to retire Vince Carter’s No. 15 jersey this season.
The announcement was made at the unveiling of Carter’s refurbished court in Dixon Park in Toronto.
Carter was in attendance alongside Raptors president Masai Ujiri and many of the current Raptors players.
The 47-year-old shared his feeling about the Raptors honoring him, via TSN’s Josh Lewenberg:
“This is what I wanted more than anything. I had 6 crazy years here, period. For those that know me, they know my love for (Toronto). It’s just hard to articulate it and to get people to buy into that. But here we are.”
He also mentioned that his intentions were to go into the Hall of Fame as a Raptor, via Lewenberg:
“I immediately made it clear when the Hall of Fame came about that I was going in as a Raptor.”
When the Brooklyn Nets told Carter they were retiring his jersey, he told them that he wanted to give the Raptors the opportunity to do it first, according to Lewenberg.
No matter how people feel about the Raptors retiring Carter’s jersey first, the impact he had on the franchise is simply undeniable.
He helped grow the game of basketball across Canada and he inspired a whole generation of Canadian born NBA players.
“The Vince Carter effect is real. It doesn’t matter what happened. Time heals, we’re very very proud of the path he set for us,” Ujiri said via Lewenberg.
Carter played 22 seasons in the NBA before retiring in 2020. He’ll be entering the Basketball Hall of Fame next month.
Vince Carter emotional during jersey retirement announcement
When Masai Ujiri talked about the Toronto Raptors retiring Vince Carter’s jersey this season, the eight-time all-star was overcome with emotion.
His jersey will be lifted to the rafters at Scotiabank Arena at halftime when the Raptors host the Sacramento Kings on Nov. 2.
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