Vince Carter’s No. 15 jersey retired by Raptors

At his jersey retirement ceremony, Vince Carter hoped Toronto Raptors fans would embrace his complex legacy with the team — and they did not disappoint.

During the 20-minute ceremony held at Scotiabank Arena during halftime of the Raptors' game against the Sacramento Kings, all 19,800 fans stood to honor Carter. Speaking to fans in the arena and at home, he reflected on the shared journey: “When that jersey goes up shortly, it’s not just Carter 15 going up, it’s all of us going up,” Carter said, drawing loud applause. “The memories created for six years, however you view it, go up tonight. So I hope and pray we enjoy our jersey being retired forever.”

Family and former teammates, including Raptors alumni Jerome Williams, Dee Brown, Muggsy Bogues, Antonio Davis, Alvin Williams, Morris Peterson, Charles Oakley, and Tracy McGrady, joined Carter on the court for the ceremony, which was hosted by Raptors broadcaster Matt Devlin. A video tribute featuring former Raptors, team staff, NBA players, and fans, including superfan Nav Bhatia and MLSE chairman Larry Tanenbaum, celebrated Carter’s impact.

Raptors president Masai Ujiri introduced Carter with an enthusiastic speech: “He is a legend. He’s an icon. He’s half-man, he’s half-amazing,” said Ujiri. “He builds our community. He helped us put Toronto on the map. He taught us how to fly, and those who don’t know how to fly, he taught us how to dream how to fly.”

Carter expressed his gratitude to the Raptors organization, his family, and fans, calling the event “an unbelievable day” and saying, “I’m honored to finally share this moment together.”

This ceremony marked a turning point in Carter's complicated history with the Raptors. Acquired by Toronto in 1998, he led the team to its first playoff appearances. However, his 2004 trade to the New Jersey Nets followed a tense offseason, and some fans believed he had forced the trade by giving up on the team, leading to years of boos each time he returned. Reflecting on this, Carter shared his journey to being embraced again by Raptors fans, saying, “Have you seen me lately? I really don’t know what else to say. I feel like my emotions speak louder than words... Nothing else needs to be said if you can’t really understand that.”

Carter noted a pivotal moment during a 2014 game with the Memphis Grizzlies, when Toronto honored former players as part of its 20th anniversary celebration. Although fans initially booed, they cheered a highlight video of Carter, sparking a change in how he was received. “Standing right here, watching that video, tearing up, my heart was full of joy to finally have that moment with you all,” Carter said. “It was something I always wanted, a feeling I wanted us all to have, which got us where we are today.”

Carter, who retired in 2020 after 22 years in the NBA and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in October, attributed his connection with fans to his passion for the game. “I just loved to hoop. I was that guy always walking around with a little bop... wanting to fly around the arenas and dunk on people,” he said. “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.”