The Brooklyn Nets will be retiring Vince Carter’s No. 15 jersey in a ceremony on January 25, 2025, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, according to HoopHype’s Michael Scotto. Carter played for five seasons between 2004 and 2009 for the Nets, with the franchise being the first team in the NBA to retire his jersey.
“The Brooklyn Nets will retire Vince Carter’s jersey in a ceremony on Saturday, January 25, 2025, at Barclays Center. This is the seventh jersey retirement in franchise history, joining Dražen Petrović, Jason Kidd, John Williamson, Bill Melchionni, Julius Erving, and Buck Williams”
Carter averaged 23.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists over his five seasons on the Nets.
While the team never replicated the success of the early 2000s when they made back-to-back Finals in 2002 and 2003 with Carter on the franchise, he was an icon for the New Jersey Nets at the time and kept them competitive for years. He made three All-Star teams with the franchise.
Will The Toronto Raptors Retire Vince Carter’s Jersey?
With the Nets deciding to put Carter’s jersey up in the rafters, everyone’s waiting to see if the Toronto Raptors will follow suit and retire Carter’s jersey eventually. Carter is considered to be one of the most influential people in Canadian basketball history due to his impact on the sport in Toronto during his stint with the Raptors.
Carter’s departure from the Raptors to the Nets via trade in 2004 was tumultuous and led to Carter being booed in Toronto for years, but by the end of his NBA record-setting 22-year career, Carter was embraced by his hometown fans once again. The Nets gave up Alonzo Mourning, Aaron Williams, Eric Williams, and two first-round draft picks to the Raptors in the deal
Carter averaged 23.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists from 1998 to 2004 with the Raptors, becoming their first superstar after the Raptors came into the NBA in 1995 as an expansion franchise. Similar to the Nets after this, Carter never had real Playoff success with the Raptors but was considered one of the NBA’s biggest superstars during his time with the franchise.
There were reports earlier this season claiming that the Raptors were finalizing a plan to retire Carter’s jersey, but nothing has been finalized just yet. The Raptors City Edition jersey for 2024-25 pays tribute to Carter by bringing back his era’s dinosaur jerseys with a Carter dunk silhouette forming the shape of the dinosaur.
It would be perfect for the Raptors to also retire his jersey this season, making Carter’s jersey to be the first hanging in the rafters at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. The team might defer Carter’s jersey retirement until other team icon and NBA Champion Kyle Lowry hangs it up to give him the honor of being the first retired jersey, but it seems Carter getting the same honor sometime soon is inevitable.
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