Vince Carter Could’ve Retired as a Raptor
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Vince Carter Could’ve Retired as a Raptor
Kyle Lowry tried to get Vince Carter back on the Toronto Raptors and, contrary to popular belief, he was willing.
In the late 90s and early 2000s, Vince Carter was why Canadian basketball was on international TVs.
People from all over the world wanted to watch him. They wanted to see him do crazy dunks and viciously posterize his opponents.
And because of that, many of his non-Canadian fans became fans of the Toronto Raptors. They wanted to see this little team from Canada succeed.
So, if it weren’t for his stardom, Canada probably wouldn't have an NBA team right now.
I say all this to show that even though his departure was rocky, he played a significant role in growing basketball in Canada.
And all of that doesn’t just go away because he left the team.
And I say this to show that he actually likes the team and the city.
This is what The Greatest Raptor of All Time, Kyle Lowry, recently revealed.
Lowry said on Vince Carter’s podcast, “The VC Show with Vince Carter,” that, at one point, he tried to bring the former dunk champion back to Toronto.
“I tried to get Vince [Carter] back at one point… We tried to get it done and it didn’t work out… you know, whatever happened and it didn’t work out. I was one of the biggest advocates in trying to get him back in Toronto.”
He also said, with emphasis like one of Vinsanity’s dunks, that Carter wanted to come back.
“And Vince was ALL IN. For any of you people who think Vince wasn’t all in in coming back to Toronto, it’s bogus… we were trying to get that done.”
Wouldn’t it have been awesome if Carter came back when the Raptors won the NBA championship title?
Although “Half Man/Half Amazing” didn’t retire as a Raptor, he did get a heartfelt tribute in 2014 during a game in the organization’s 20th-anniversary season.
During his 7-and-half-year tenure, Carter led the Raptors to the playoffs twice, won the Rookie of the Year award, was voted into two All-NBA teams, was a 5-time NBA All-Star, and won the Dunk Contest.
He held averages of 23.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.3 steals as a Raptor.
What was your fondest memory of Vince Carter?
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