Last night, Vince Carter became the first Toronto Raptor to have his jersey retired. When he joined the Raptors in 1998, only three players of Canadian descent played in the NBA. Today, that number has boomed to 27.
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His seven-season tenure in Toronto made ripples that changed the city’s basketball culture forever, increasing involvement in the sport at the professional level and as a recreation as well.
However, Carter’s departure from Toronto was shrouded in controversy. After he demanded a trade away from the Raptors in 2004, there was a sense of betrayal among fans in the city. It complicated his relationship with the city and its people.
But the 47-year-old was grateful to have overcome the bitterness after so many years to return to the city where his NBA career began.
“Seeing that 15 that we all enjoyed wearing, supporting, loving, hating, cursing at sometimes, we all see it go up and our emotions hang in the rafters forever, so thank you,” Vince Carter reflected at the end of a video compiled by The Sports Network, which recorded the reactions of fans on Vinsanity’s jersey retirement.
VC’s poetic statement perfectly captures his emotions seeing his jersey hanging from the rafters. Carter was tearful reminiscing his history with Toronto while the jersey took its place at the top of Scotiabank Arena.
Through 403 games, Carter averaged 23.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals in his Raptors stint. His departure to Brooklyn in 2004 became more emotional than trades tend to be. It was almost a breakup between Vince and the Raptors, who had committed to building around him and his cousin, Tracy McGrady.
A decade after forgiveness, Carter is honored in Toronto
For a decade after he left Toronto, fans in The Six held a grudge against the high-flying guard. In many ways, he was the entry point into basketball for many in the country and seeing him in another jersey brought out the anger of Raptors fans. Although, in 2014, when Vince Carter was still an active NBA player in Memphis, things finally began to change.
The Raptors had turned 20 that season and were celebrating their legacy with a highlight reel of all the players who had touched the franchise. Notably, this included Carter, who was playing against Toronto that night.
He was still greeted by jeers and boos when he checked into the game. But while the video was playing, fans cheered at Carter’s highlights in the Raptors jersey.
“It’s something about seeing those highlights in this building, because that’s where it was created…I think, being honest, it was a pleasant surprise hearing the cheers,” VC reflected.
Carter teared up that night when the fans cheered for him, just like he did last night when he was honored during the Raptors’ 131-128 win over the Sacramento Kings. Now that another decade has passed, the old wounds seem to be healing as Toronto fans welcomed him with open arms and celebrated his legacy – warts and all.
