Under normal circumstances, a battle between the Toronto Raptors and the Atlanta Hawks wouldn’t garner headlines in January. After all, the Hawks are generally regarded as a rebuilding entity and, on Tuesday evening, the Raptors were 14-point favorites at tip-off.
However, there was a point of national attention in the return of Vince Carter to his former home and, considering this might be the last tour around the league for the 41-year-old forward, the Toronto faithful greeted him with exuberance.
In what may be his last game in Toronto, Vince Carter was greeted with a standing ovation 👏 pic.twitter.com/iGewEutoQZ
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 9, 2019
Standing ovation for @mrvincecarter15 as he checks in in Toronto. Respect. pic.twitter.com/o2Wz9EVVJ2
— Annie Finberg (@AnnieFinberg) January 9, 2019
Carter has actually played a relatively prominent role for the young Hawks this season, acting as the team’s primary backup at the power forward spot and contributing as a long-range shooter. Obviously, he isn’t the same player that took the basketball world by storm during his time with the Raptors but, in all likelihood, Carter will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame and he’ll do so having performed at his highest level while in Toronto.
Much has been made of Carter’s less than ideal exit from the franchise that drafted him but, after all this time, it appears that most Raptors fans have come to appreciate his massive contributions. That was on full display here and it made for a cool moment, even if Carter hasn’t officially announced that he’ll retire and said earlier in the day that he’d like to come back for a record 22nd season next year.
