Raptors have a "secret" plan to honour Vince Carter
The Toronto Raptors seem to have something up their sleeves when it comes to Vince Carter, though they’re keeping quiet on exactly what.
Carter, whose election to the Basketball Hall of Fame was announced on April 3, spent his first seven seasons in Toronto before being traded to the New Jersey Nets.
And though Carter’s end to his Toronto tenure can only be described as tumultuous, it’s now been nearly 20 years since when the organization traded him away in December 2004.
Many considered Carter a villain due to his perceived role in pushing his way out of Toronto, a strong flip from the franchise icon he became as the team’s first superstar player.
Though Carter was booed heavily in his first few returns to Toronto, he’s since been shown love many times on trips back to the city, including most recently in January of this year.
All love for Vince Carter from #Raptors fans tonight, who’s here calling the game for TNT. pic.twitter.com/uR5vuBOH0s
— Adam Laskaris (@adam_la2karis) January 19, 2024
So when Toronto president Masai Ujiri spoke at his end-of-season press conference today, he had a bit of a smile when prompted about whether the team had plans to honour Carter next season.
“It’s a secret,” Ujiri said in response to a question asked by Daily Hive.
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 17, 2024
Following the news of Carter’s induction, the Raptors floated a logo of their team mascot doing Carter’s iconic between-the-legs dunk from the 2000 NBA All-Star Weekend Dunk Contest, which he was crowned champion of.
An Icon for the City 🏀 pic.twitter.com/dM1Pq5Wova
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 6, 2024
But new jerseys? A total rebrand? A Carter statue outside the arena or his jersey being retired in the Scotiabank Arena rafters? Well, Ujiri didn’t exactly offer up any further thoughts on that today.
“I didn’t know too much about what went on here, but I know everybody is moving on and I hope the fans can [move on] and we can embrace an unbelievable player that really set a tone and set a pathway for all of us to be where we are today,” Ujiri said.
Carter, who played for eight teams over his time in the league, capped off his illustrious NBA career as third in all-time games played (1,541) and No. 20 on the league’s all-time points list (25,728).
“Love him, he’s the best,” Ujiri added. “Everything, just like we’re going through here, has ups and downs… I think what Vince has done as a player, not only the length of his career but how he’s carried himself, maturity.”
Carter will be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame this coming August, with the festivities taking place on August 16 and 17.
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