The Toronto Raptors retired Vince Carter’s jersey at the Scotiabank Arena on Saturday. Carter became the first athlete to receive the honor from the franchise, which made him very emotional during the ceremony. Klay Thompson also felt the warmth of the NBA legend’s passion for the game when he showed some love to the 47-year-old via his Instagram stories.
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A lot of the athletes who congratulated Carter on the jersey retirement were inspired by him. The story is no different for Thompson. He shared a clip from the ceremony to heap praise on the eight-time All-Star for everything he has done for the game of basketball and upcoming athletes of his generation.
The Mavs star outlined how Carter’s gravity-defying dunks inspired young kids to attempt to jump like him. However, it wasn’t long before fans like Thompson found out the hard way that those dunks are not realistic.
He wrote, “Huge congrats to Vince. One of the greatest ever and did so much for the game. Every kid who was lucky enough to watch him would try to jump like him and were quick to find out that was nearly impossible lol.”
Klay also posted a throwback picture of himself wearing Carter’s Nike Shox Bb4 in Metallic Silver and stated that wearing the Shox shoes was one of the highlights of his childhood.
Klay shared such a beautiful IG story for Vince Carter pic.twitter.com/4qK8FdGeHg
— What are (W)NBA Celebs Upto? (@NBACelebsUpdate) November 3, 2024
“One of the best days ever when my mom got me the Shox for bball season. Vinsanity forever!”
All these emotions expressed by his fans made the moment even more special for Carter. He delivered a powerful yet emotional speech at his jersey retirement, stating that this is not the end of the road.
Seeing #15 go up in the rafters meant a lot to Vince Carter
Carter has had one of the most legendary NBA careers spanning over 22 seasons. He was drafted by the Golden State Warriors as the fifth pick in the 1998 NBA Draft, but was immediately traded to the Toronto Raptors. VC spent the first six years in The 6 before moving to the Nets.
Even though he left Toronto, his impact is a part of Toronto’s legacy. He told his fans, “The legacy is still growing. This is the icing on the cake…It’s not just Carter 15 going up, it’s all of us going up. The memories, however you view it, goes up tonight. I hope and pray we enjoy our jersey being retired forever together.”
While he ended his legendary run in the league without a trophy, Carter appeared in 88 playoff games. And for the city of Toronto and the basketball culture in Canada, Vinsanity will always remain a highly respected figure.
