NBA hall-of-famer Vince Carter has impacted the Toronto Raptors arguably as much as any player has impacted a franchise. They won no more than 30 games in each of the three seasons before Carter arrived, but made the playoffs three times with Carter at the helm and nearly reached the Eastern Conference Finals.
His impact however, was larger than wins. Carter made the Toronto Raptors a household name as the first NBA team located outside of the United States.
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Although Carter’s departure in 2004 was hostile, the Raptors retired his No. 15 jersey on Saturday night in an emotional ceremony. When Carter took the floor during halftime of Toronto’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings, he broke down in tears and screamed in passion to the standing ovation.
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A tribute to Carter was played on the jumbotron and included statements from former teammates, Raptors legends and current players that were impacted by Carter’s superhuman abilities in the early 2000’s. After introductory speeches by members of the Raptors front office, Carter took the podium to give a speech before watching his iconic jersey get lifted to the rafters.
“When that Jersey goes up shortly, it’s not just Carter 15 going up, it’s all of us going up,” Carter said in his heartfelt speech. “So I hope and pray we enjoy our jersey being retired forever together. Thank you Toronto, thank you!”
James Parker is an NBA writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
