The Toronto Raptors are moving along with their commemorations to mark 30 years in existence. First, the new jerseys. They included a nod to Vince Carter. Now, Carter’s jersey is set to be retired.
The breakup between Vince and Toronto was ugly. Terrible. Miserable. But over time, we remember the good more than the bad. I wrote many years ago, for Vice Sports (rip), about what Carter meant to the Raptors.
In 2000, Carter amazed viewers and participants alike with his inconceivable performance in the slam dunk contest. He led the league in All-Star voting in 2000, 2001, and 2002. By 2002, Carter was being featured in Gatorade commercials with more screen time than Derek Jeter. More than a decade later, The Carter Effect documentary revealed that he even brought bottle service to the nightclubs of Toronto. Carter put Toronto on the map in more ways than one.
He wasn’t just a good player on a bad (and then increasingly good) team. He was, for a very brief stretch, one of the faces of the league. Perhaps the face. That was a time when the Raptors as a whole were a joke. He made them feel different. Carter was the stepping stone to the good years, even if there were a whole lot of bad years in between.
Over time, the bad has largely been forgotten. Especially as a new generation of fans has come of age, joining fandom long after Carter’s divorce, only remembering him through the dunk highlights on YouTube. Now the team is remembering Carter, too.
It will happen with Sacramento in town, ensuring that DeMar DeRozan is on hand to witness the spectacle. I wouldn’t be surprised if one day, DeRozan too had his jersey retired by the franchise.
