On Saturday night, the Toronto Raptors paid homage and honored one of the franchises greatest legends as Vince Carter made an appearance at Scotiabank Arena when his jersey number would be retired by the team and sent into the rafters. Carter became the first Raptor to have their jersey retired, and vinsanity has a long list of accomplishments over his career that has made him more than deserving of this incredible achievement. After being traded to Toronto on draft night, Vince Carter made an immediate impact for the Raptors winning rookie of the year, and put Canada on the map for basketball. In 2000 Carter would enter the NBA slam dunk contest and put on a performance for the ages, that would stun the judges and fans all over the world as he pulled off moves never seen before, and of course he took home the trophy as champion. Carter also would lead the Raptors to their first playoff appearance in franchise history and although they were eliminated in the first round, the man people called ‘Air Canada’ had put the whole league on notice.

By the end of his career, Vince Carter had ended with eight all-star selections, an Olympic gold medal, and many more accomplishments, along with an induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Without Vince Carter, Raptors basketball would not have taken off in the way that it did, and Toronto is the perfect candidate to get to honor such an incredible player.

At halftime of the Raptors vs. Kings game on November 2, Vince Carter took to center court to address the crowd and acknowledge everyone who had helped him along the way on his historic career. From his coaches, teammates, to his own cousin Tracy McGrady who was also in attendance, Vince got to say what he’s been waiting to for a long time and shouted out the fans who’ve stuck around from day one, both his supporters and especially his haters. With tears in his eyes, Carter hugged his mother as they watched his number 15 go up into the rafters forever, cementing himself as one of the greatest Toronto Raptors of all time.