Vince Carter teared up multiple times both during the Toronto Raptors jersey retirement ceremony and during the post-ceremony press conference. Carter is the first player in Raptors history to have his jersey retired.
Vince Carter is one of the most iconic stars in NBA history. His Toronto Raptors #15 jersey was retired on Saturday.
Vince Carter
| Position: | SG, SF |
| Age: | 47 |
| Height: | 198 cm |
| Weight: | 100 kg |
| Birth place: | Daytona Beach, United States of America |
After the ceremony in the Scotiabank Arena, Carter held a dedicated press conference to answer a variety of questions about his career and this special moment.
"It means everything. The legacy is still growing," Carter said when asked about his legacy in Canadian basketball.
"Once again, this is the icing on the cake, this is the bow to bring it all to full circle. So, even for Tristan Thompsons and Cory Josephs, Kelly Olynyks on down, for those guys to feel how they feel, and they have obviously articulated that for many years, and the newer generation doing the same, this is like the pinnacle for everyone. The good feels. That's what I want that legacy to be, whatever we feel tonight."
Raptors fans weren't on good terms with Carter throughout his career. The recognition and realization came in the later years of his playing days. It culminated in 2014 when Carter returned to Toronto as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Raptors showed a tribute to Carter, and he was visibly emotional.
"Once a game starts, I'm in the moment. You get tapped on the shoulder to look up, and I just remember taking a step forward and," Carter began tearing up. "being in my bubble," he stopped again. "and just enjoying the moment because that was one of the first times... Throughout those years leading up to it, you see the highlights and videos, and I've enjoyed those moments, but it's something about seeing those highlights in this building because that's where it was created."
"I was asked, 'What did I hear, how did I feel, what did I see?' I didn't see anything, I didn't hear anything, I was in my bubble. I think, being honest, to a pleasant surprise hearing the cheers. It could've been an arena of boos, and I still would've had the same feeling, honestly, because I'd never gotten the opportunity to see the video in this building," he said. "So, it was cool."
Carter became the first player to have his number retired in the Toronto Raptors 30-year history.
Carter became the Rookie of the Year, a two-time All-NBA, and made five of his eight All-Star appearances as a Raptor. The Hall of Famer was in tears watching his moments and his legacy being narrated on the jumbotron.
"It's been fun. It's been fun, especially this little dude (points to his son). Yeah, you. It's like my dad who's proud," Carter teared up again and hugged his son. "That's where the emotions come from. Because of that. This lady right here (points to his mom), that lady over there (points to his wife), this grown-up I now have as a daughter, this man, these two people over here...
"I'm not experiencing this by myself. I'm experiencing this with my family, friends, strangers. I know it's my day, but you've heard me say it a couple of times, and I'll keep saying it, and you're going to keep hearing it tonight - this is our day. And it's our day however you feel about this moment, what has transpired, or even me. This is our day.
"You asked about legacy... More than anything, we're retired today. I say that because of the emotions, because of the feelings, and I know people saw me grow up as a 20-21-year-old, leaving as a 27-year-old, and finishing as a 43-year-old - do that math.
"It's been emotional. It's been emotions, people having feelings towards me, about me, and about my family, about my friends and whatnot, towards this organization and this man who's always been here in my corner to get where we are, to get to 2014 where you see a change, and people really saying, 'I overreacted,' or however you feel, or not feeling at all, to wherever we are today. And yeah, it says Carter 15, but with that Carter 15 has been a lot of emotions for all of us."
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