TORONTO — As far as legacies go, it’s a complicated one for Vince Carter and the Toronto Raptors.
That won’t stop Canada’s lone NBA team from honouring the player who put the franchise on the map.
The Raptors will retire Carter’s No. 15 on Nov. 2 at Scotiabank Arena, making him the first player in franchise history to receive the honour.
“I’m beyond words,” an emotional Carter said Friday as tears ran down his cheeks.
Carter, who was in Toronto for an MLSE Foundation event at the newly renovated Vince Carter Court, expressed his gratitude to the Raptors and hugged team president Masai Ujiri when the news was made official.
“It’s never happened before and I’m just truly thankful to be a part of it,” Carter said, as hundreds of kids packed around the court’s perimeter roared their approval.
In anticipation of the news, the Raptors hung Carter’s jersey in key spots across Toronto, with fans spotting the displays on their morning commute.
Carter said it was an honour to be back in a city he called a “second home.” Former teammates, club officials and members of the current squad were on hand for the event at a park in the city’s northwest end.
The Raptors are celebrating their 30th anniversary this season. Ujiri said it was “fitting” that Carter is having his jersey retired as part of it.
“This is what I wanted more than anything because I had six crazy years here,” Carter said.
Fans still remain somewhat polarized when it comes to Carter, whose dunks and creativity made him a highlight-reel staple.
He anchored the Raptors in their formative years and lifted them from a squad mired in an expansion rut to respectability. Along the way, a new generation of youngsters in a hockey-mad country starting paying more attention to the hardcourt.
But Carter’s level dropped ahead of his departure from Toronto. He asked for a trade in 2004 and was dealt to the New Jersey Nets in a mid-season swap that saw the Raptors get little in return.
Carter went on to have a Hall of Fame career and will be formally inducted next month. He’s the only player in NBA history to play in four different decades.
“The Vince Carter effect is real,” Ujiri said. “It doesn’t matter what has happened. Time heals things and we continue to build for the future.
“If we talk about championships, he’s one of the ones that set us up to be where we are and hopefully where we can be.”
Carter guided the Raptors to limited playoff success – he won just a single playoff series in Toronto – but the superstar’s exponential rise at the turn of the century created a significant shift.
A team frequently mocked for its cartoonish dinosaur logo and poor play was suddenly improving and an all-world talent was leading the way.
The Raptors became cool and Carter’s gravity-defying dunks helped provide the exclamation point for the transformation.
“Vinsanity” gripped Toronto and eventually the league. A one-sided slam dunk contest win in 2000 took things to another level.
Carter put on a show with a performance that left fellow star players wide-eyed and had judges leaping over their table to congratulate him. An uber-confident “It’s over!” statement to the camera merely stated the obvious.
Carter helped the Raptors reach the playoffs for the first time that spring. He also guided Toronto to the Eastern Conference semifinals in a memorable post-season in 2001.
The Raptors ended up losing to the Philadelphia 76ers when Carter missed a shot at the buzzer in Game 7. He faced criticism for attending his graduation at the University of North Carolina in the morning of the deciding game.
Carter signed a lucrative six-year extension with Toronto later that year. However, the feel-good vibe of a superstar re-signing with the club disappeared a couple seasons later.
Injuries became an issue and fans started to question Carter’s work ethic. After he was traded, Carter went on to spend parts of five seasons with the Nets – now based in Brooklyn – who will also retire his number later in the season.
Adored during his glory days with Toronto, the boos were deafening when Carter first returned but faded over the years. He eventually mended fences with the team.
When reports surfaced this week that his No. 15 would be raised to the Scotiabank Arena rafters, it stoked debate on how the 47-year-old compares to other top players in franchise history.
Chris Bosh, DeMar DeRozan and Pascal Siakam all enjoyed strong years in Toronto.
Kyle Lowry was the heart and soul of a Raptors team that finally broke through in 2019 with an NBA title. Kawhi Leonard’s single season in the city helped produce that lone championship.
Carter though, love him or hate him, left an indelible mark on the franchise. He also had an immeasurable impact on the sport in Toronto and throughout Canada.
In the end, a messy exit won’t trump an arrival that led to a stellar career and made the Raptors a franchise that mattered.
“He helped us take the steps our franchise needed,” Ujiri said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 27, 2024.
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