Currently playing the final stages of what is a long and illustrious NBA career, Vince Carter has plenty of honors to look forward to in the future. Along with being a surefire Hall of Famer, Carter will be remembered as arguably the greatest dunker the league has ever seen and as an explosively high scoring two-way wing for his days with the New Jersey Nets and the Toronto Raptors.
Carter also has a personal goal of his which he hopes to see fulfilled after his playing days draw to a close: the retirement of his #15 jersey. In fact, Carter wants that jersey to be retired by a specific team, that team being the Toronto Raptors.
In a recent sit down with ESPN’s Marc Spears, Carter revealed that he’d love to have his jersey retired back in Toronto where it all started for him:
“Of course, I’d like for [the Raptors] to retire my jersey. 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… 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.”
Along with his eventual enshrinement into the Naismith Hall of Fame, getting his jersey retired would be right up there with some of the highest honors Vince Carter receives.
Not only will Carter be celebrated once his career comes to a close, but he will be more than deserving it as well. Carter was one of the most dominant wing players of this generation, dominating opposing defenses throughout the mid-2000’s. Though his game has adapted to his old age and the evolution of the NBA, Carter is still a solid contributor for the Sacramento Kings as a bench piece today.
Over his 7-year career with the Toronto Raptors, Carter compiled 9,420 total points and posted per game averages of 23.4 points paired with 5.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists. If Carter’s #15 jersey was to be retired by the Raptors, it would be the first in franchise history.
