Vince Carter is going to be inducted into the National Basketball Hall of Fame some day. He’s had a fantastic career and his longevity has been something that everyone has to admire. Plus he was one of the best players of his era, which, you know, always helps when you’re talking about a player’s chances about making a Hall of Fame.
Carter spent the first six and a half years of his career with the Toronto Raptors. He was fantastic in Toronto, averaging 23.4 points per game with the Raptors, but there was a messy breakup between the team and the player that led to Carter getting shipped to New Jersey. For the longest time, it was common to hear the boo birds rain down whenever Carter would return north of the border.
But once his career comes to an end, Carter hopes he can be honored with the highest show of respect that the franchise can offer. Speaking with Marc Spears of The Undefeated, Carter said he would like it if his jersey would get retired by the Raptors, although he made it clear that it’s not something he likes to think about while he’s still playing.
“Of course, I’d like for [the Raptors] to retire my jersey,” Carter said. “You’d always like your jersey retired. That is where it’s started. There have been talks about it. People talk about it, and I’m very thankful for it. But for me, I try my best not to think about it because I am still of service in this league. At the end of the day, every player’s end result is to see their jersey hanging in the rafters somewhere. That is where it started. Hopefully I will get that opportunity.”
The Raptors have not retired any jersey numbers, which makes sense since they’re a relatively new franchise. If they’re going to start hanging numbers up in the rafters of the Air Canada Centre, it makes a whole lot of sense to start with Carter. Seeing as how Raptors president Masai Ujiri said Carter will “be home in Toronto,” it wouldn’t be a surprise to learn that the organization feels the same way.
(Via The Undefeated)
