Vince Carter: ‘Icing on the Cake’ to Have No. 15 Jersey Retired By Raptors in Toronto

Taylyn HadleyNovember 3, 2024

Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu via Getty Images

Former Toronto Raptors player Vince Carter had his No. 15 jersey retired by the franchise on Saturday night in an emotional ceremony at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

After spending his first seven years with the team, Carter has been credited with inspiring the basketball community across Canada.

“The legacy is still growing,” Carter said at the ceremony. “This is the icing on the cake.”

Carter officially retired in 2020 with the Atlanta Hawks after playing 22 years in the NBA.

Several players recorded congratulatory videos for the former Rookie of the Year, including Stephen Curry, Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, and Tristan Thompson, many of whom credited their love for basketball to Carter.

Fans watched in amazement as they cherished every moment of the Hall of Famer taking the court.

“It’s not just Carter 15 going up, it’s all of us going up,” Carter told fans during the ceremony. “The memories, however you view it, goes up tonight. I hope and pray we enjoy our jersey being retired forever together.”

Along with current players, some of Carter’s former Toronto teammates, including Tracy McGrady, Charles Oakley, Dee Brown, Jerome Williams and Muggsy Bogues, joined him and Raptors president Masai Ujiri for the ceremony.

“He taught us how to fly,” Ujiri said while introducing Carter during halftime.

Carter referred to the ceremony as “a day I’ll never forget,” expressing his profound appreciation for the honor of having his No. 15 jersey raised to the rafters.