Source: Patrick McDermott / Getty
Vince Carter played in the NBA for 22 seasons so it’s natural that the accolades are piling up. It was announced this year that he’ll be inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame and that the New Jersey (now Brooklyn) Nets are retiring his number.
The Toronto Raptors entered the chat, recently announcing that they would also retire his number, making him the first player in the history of the franchise to be so honred. The official ceremony will happen on Nov. 2, the team said. It sets up a memorable few months for the former NBA superstar as he’ll be inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame on Oct. 13, and the Nets jersey retirement ceremony happens on Jan. 25, the day before his 48th birthday.
The Toronto Raptors were where he started his NBA career, playing five-and-a-half seasons for the team after Golden State drafted him out of North Carolina, then traded him. He was the 1999 Rookie of the Year and the 2000 Slam Dunk champion in Toronto, earning the nicknames ‘Air Canada’ and ‘Half-Man, Half Amazing’ for his high-flying dunks.
Over his career, Carter was an eight-time All-Star, a two-time All-NBA selection, and the only man to play 22 seasons in four different decades. (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Dirk Nowitzki played more overall games, but fewer seasons.)
Carter got emotional about the honor at a recent rededication of a court in his name at a Toronto park. Raptors GM Masai Ujuri made the official announcement, though TSN had reported it days before.
“As an athlete, there’s a lot of things you want in your life and your career,” a visibly moved Carter said. “When we grew up as young kids like this, we had dreams of playing on the high school team. In high school, we had dreams of going to college, and in college, we have dreams of playing professionally. I got that opportunity at 21. I was fortunate to play for 22 years, had ups and downs, made some game-winners, missed a lot of them. Highlights, lowlights, all of that.”
He added, “To finally finish my career, and have a lot of wonderful opportunities, great family, great friends, and still have a job of some sort, accomplished a lot of things, seen a lot of things, get the opportunity to have one of the greatest honors to walk in the door of the Hall of Fame that I still can’t believe to this day, and now another great honor to be the first to go up in the Scotia Bank Arena. It’s just so hard to believe and I’m truly thankful. For those who appreciate it, those who don’t appreciate it, don’t agree with it – enjoy it, this is something we’ve never gotten to see before. I’m truly thankful to be a part of this and truly humbled.”
Watch Carter’s comments in their entirety below:
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