“It’s all of us going up:” Vince Carter tears up at Raptors jersey retirement

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To the surprise of nobody, Vince Carter was a bit emotional at Saturday’s Toronto Raptors game.

The first-ever jersey retirement for the franchise, Carter’s No. 15 is now officially hanging in the rafters of Scotiabank Arena.

Carter spent the first seven seasons of his NBA career playing in Toronto, amassing 9,420 points, 1,553 assists, and 2,091 rebounds. Leaving the franchise on bad terms after requesting a trade away from the Raptors, Carter went on to the New Jersey Nets for the next four-and-a-half years. Though being booed was commonplace in his first several visits back to Toronto, it was all cheers on Saturday night.

“When that jersey goes up shortly. It’s not just part of 15 going up. It’s all of us going up. The
memories that have been created for six years, however you will view it, go up tonight,” Carter said in an emotional halftime moment.

Carter had to stop both his speech and his pregame press conference several times in order to collect his emotion.

Carter’ banner featured an image of him from the 2000 NBA Dunk Contest doing a now-iconic between-the-legs slam.

“That Carter 15 has been a lot of emotions for all of us,” Carter said pregame… “Your emotion being here is a proud moment or a cool moment or a wowing moment, but it’s still a moment and a feeling… “I say all those feelings are splattered on that Carter 15 tonight and it’s going to sit in that arena — forever.”

Fellow Raptors icons DeMar DeRozan [who was on the opposing bench] and Kyle Lowry, current Toronto star Scottie Barnes, ex-Raptors announcer Chuck Swirsky, and Golden State Warriors point guard Steph Curry all shared some words in the tribute video shown on the arena’s jumbotron.

“I think all of these emotions and feelings of now, knowing now, again, putting a bow on the entire experience, not just six years, 22 years of back and forth. ‘Hehe, haha, VC, sucks’ to congratulations. It’s all in one,” Carter said.

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