TORONTO — Chills of a familiar nature overcame Scotiabank Arena on Saturday night, as the Toronto crowd welcomed a former franchise superstar, who was ready to be immortalized.
Vince Carter made his way to centre court, tears rolling down his face, as he yelled “Come on,” as loud as he could. It was evident the emotional toll that the night — and this whole 20-plus-year process — has had on the man dubbed “Half-Man, Half-Amazing.”
Tonight belonged to “Vinsanity” in Toronto, as the Raptors honoured the legend by retiring his jersey number 15 during a half-time ceremony. It marks the first such move in franchise history, only fitting for a man that “helped put Toronto on the map,” in the words of current team president Masai Ujiri.
“He’s a legend, he’s an icon. He built our community,” said Ujiri passionately. “He taught us how to fly, and those who don’t know how to fly, he taught us how to dream how to fly. Yes, he’s a legend.”
Carter would proceed to address a roaring crowd, with his family and a plethora of his former teammates in attendance:
“I’m honoured we get to share this moment together. … When that jersey goes up shortly, it’s not just Carter 15 going up. It’s all of us going up. The memories that have been created for six years, however you will view it, go up tonight. So I hope and pray, we enjoy our jersey being retired. Forever, together.”
That number now hangs in the rafters, representing the first definable era of Raptors basketball, along with its most contencious. Ahead of the ceremony, Carter was asked if 10 years ago, he could have imagined that his jersey would one day be retired by the Raptors. He gave a resounding “No.”
Those “however you view it” memories include a tumultuous exit that has taken years to soften in the memories of Raptors fans.
Carter first arrived in Toronto in 1998, and quickly grabbed the world’s attention, as his high-flying dunks and scoring prowess catapulted him to winning Rookie of the Year honours. In the next five years, he would take Toronto to the playoffs for the first time, while also making five straight all-star appearances. He galvanized fans, but more importantly showed that basketball could in-fact flourish in Canada.
It was in 2001 that things started to sour, when Carter decided to attend his university graduation in North Carolina on the same day as a pivotal Game 7 in the Eastern Conference semifinals. He would end up missing the game-winner to finish that game, and what followed was a growing level of mistrust and frustration from the franchise’s fans towards Carter. That culminated in 2004, when many believed he had quietly quit on the Raptors, as he posted career-lows (albeit, playing his fewest minutes), as rumours surfaced that he had reportedly requested a trade from the team.
Carter was ultimately traded to the New Jersey Nets, in a deal that many viewed as heavily lop-sided for the Raptors, as the former franchise star had tanked his value. He would go on to make another three all-star teams throughout his 22-year NBA career.
Carter would be booed mercilessly when returning to Toronto. That No. 15 would be sported by other players in the years to come, from Jorge Garbajosa, to Amir Johnson, Anthony Bennett, and Greg Monroe.
But that won’t be the case anymore, as Carter and the Raptors look toward a new chapter, as they wrap up the past.
“A celebration of the time spent is what I’ve always wanted,” said Carter at a press conference pre-game on Saturday, noting that it didn’t necessarily need to come in the form of a jersey retirement.
“Putting a bow on the entire experience, not just six years, 22 years of back and forth. He-he, ha-ha. VC sucks to congratulations. That’s all I want.”
For Carter, he believes part of the reason why the city fell in love with him explains why they had such animosity when he left.
“I just wanted to play. I just loved to hoop. I was that guy always walking around with a little bop, because I had music in my mind, wanting to fly around the arenas and dunk on people,” said Carter. “Which is why people fell in love, which is why I understand why people were sad and had their feelings, because they gravitated to that they enjoyed it.
“It was something they can relate to. This guy seems normal to us because he’s having fun. He loves to play, and I think that’s where the love came from. I understand that’s possibly where the frustration came from, because that guy that we’re starting to like is now moving on.”
For Carter, he understands that people can have their “frustrations,” but he thinks everyone should “understand the whole story before you articulate your anger, particularly if you don’t really know what was really going on.”
To Carter, he views his relationship with Raptors fans in three distinct periods, conveying three different “emotions.” First comes the period between 1998 to 2004, where he was a franchise icon. Then it was 2004 to 2014, and then 2014 to now.
“Trying to put a bow on that is crazy,” he said.
When thinking of a turning point in his relationship with the city and its fans, he remembers Nov. 19, 2014, vividly, when he was a member of the Memphis Grizzlies. For the first time, he was met with something that wasn’t an overwhelming amount of boos. Instead, the Raptors played his highlights on the jumbotron as part of their 20th anniversary festivities, as the crowd cheered on the former franchise leader, in a moment that brought Carter to tears.
For years, as his relationship with Toronto fans seemed to be in turmoil, Carter would see his highlights, enjoying them to himself. But emotions overcame him as he saw them in the building where they were created.
“I didn’t see anything. I didn’t hear anything. I was in my bubble. And I think if I’m being honest it was a pleasant surprise, hearing the cheers,” said Carter, while again holding back tears on Saturday. “It could have been an arena of boos, and I would have still had the same feeling, honestly, because I’ve never gotten that opportunity to see a (tribute) video in this building.”
Tonight’s jersey retirement joins a plethora of memorable moments Carter’s had over the past month. On Oct. 13, he was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, where he symbolically said he’s going in as a Raptor. In Toronto, he’s seen a basketball court revitalized in his honour, followed by a mural and also Air Canada unveiling a plane with his silhouette on it, in a nod to one of his original nicknames. Tonight was a fitting culmination of festivities to bring Carter into Toronto immortality.
“It’s our day, however we feel about this moment, what has transpired, or even me, this is our day, and it’s about legacy,” said Carter.
When it comes to legacy, there’s no doubt that Carter has that in Canada.
“I wouldn’t be here without you, you’re our country’s Michael Jordan,” said Canadian and NBA Champion Tristan Thompson in a recorded message that was played for Scotiabank Arena during the jersey retirement ceremony.
Thompson’s message was also joined by kind words from Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan and Steph Curry, who as a kid would play against Carter, as his dad Dell played for the Raptors.
Carter holds dear the impact he’s made on the future generations of hoopers that came after him, especially those in Canada, as he names players like Thompson, Corey Joseph, Jamal Murray and current Raptor players Kelly Olynyk and RJ Barrett for singing his praises over the years.
“It means everything, and the legacy is still growing. … This is the icing on the cake. This is the bow to bring it all full-circle,” said Carter. “This is like the pinnacle for everything, the good feels, and that’s why I want that legacy to be whatever we feel tonight.”
For Carter, he mentions how the city saw him grow up from him being a young kid in his 20s when he arrived, to a 43-year-old when he retired from the game in 2020 after 22 seasons.
“It’s been emotional. People having their feelings towards me and about me, and about my family, about my friends and whatnot, and towards the organization,” said Carter.
He says that any sentiments that were shared about him not “loving” Toronto are so far from wrong. If that were the case, he wouldn’t still have friends in the city, businesses, and make trips up north. This season, that will also include a position as a periodic broadcaster for future Raptors games.
“It should be obvious, and sometimes I get that people turn a blind eye. … I’m gonna keep on showing (my love) and I’ve been patient,” said Carter. “I’m continuing to be patient, as I understood that a long time ago.”