Finally ! This is undoubtedly the word that has come up the most since the Raptors' announcement to retire the jersey Vince Carter this Saturday, November 2. The Canadian franchise dragged its feet in paying tribute to its former fullback. Without the Nets' decision to retire the Hall of Famer's jersey in January 2025, perhaps Canadian leaders would have still waited, preferring to make Kyle Lowry the first player honored by the franchise.
But why wait so long when the impact of “VC” in Canada and Toronto seems so obvious? This is the power of time and also of highlights: they make us forget the petty controversies and resentments. Because the end of the adventure in Toronto then the departure of Vince Carter was far from pleasant, for the player as for the franchise and its fans, as the Secret Base channel recalled a few years ago in a long, very detailed video.
2001, summit and first cracks for the “Golden Boy” of the NBA
And everything didn't break in December 2004, when the transfer to New Jersey took place. First little flashback, in 2001, when the fullback was at the peak of his popularity and his sporting career. It must be remembered that, since arriving in the league in 1998, everything has been smiling at the back. Michael Jordan retired, he is the new phenomenon, the new darling with his hyper spectacular game and his incredible dunks which delight the Top 10.
He quickly became very popular, so All-Star, won the dunk contest in 2000 and the Raptors progressed, to the point of being in the conference semi-finals in 2001, against the Sixers. A legendary series where Allen Iverson and Vince Carter will offer a high-level duel, until Game 7. This is the first break between the star and the franchise.
A few hours before Game 7, the same morning, the guard wants to collect his university diploma from North Carolina. Even if it's a short plane trip, it's still a trip to make before the most important match of his career. A decision more or less understood by his teammates – “I don’t care” will say the player – which will take a more important and negative turn when the Raptors lose in this decisive match, after the last second shot missed by… Vince Carter. The regrets will be eternal for Raptors players and fans.
Nevertheless, the Canadian franchise seems on the right track and in the wake of this successful exercise, it extends its star. This is the start of trouble. Vince Carter was injured and missed 22 matches during the 2001/02 season, the Raptors regressed (the arrival of an aging Hakeem Olajuwon changed nothing) and they went out in the first round. Criticisms return regarding “VC”, who would not be a leader. And it's not the following season that will put them out.
Questionable attitudes, on and off the field
He is still weighed down by injuries: he only plays 43 matches… Two years after his extension of 94 million dollars over six years, the player has only played 103 matches, none of which in the playoffs, and doubts about his hygiene. life and his desire to work emerge. Above all, in addition to not being on the floor with his teammates, attitudes are disturbing. We see him dancing during a concert by singer Nelly in November, while his teammates take 25 points against the Hawks.
The clearest divide comes after the 2003/04 season, still very disappointing with 33 successes and a vacation from the month of April. Vince Carter is unhappy with Raptors president Richard Peddie because no All-Star is being recruited to strengthen the team that has been floundering since the conference semifinals in 2001. And the arrival of rookie Chris Bosh has not packed Carter. Therefore, during the summer, the player and his clan requested a transfer, which will be publicly assumed a few weeks later, in September.
“It’s time to tell the truth: I want to transfer. I'm ready for this. It has nothing to do with the fans or the city, it's just time to take care of myself. It’s time to move forward”explains the player, still an All-Star season after season despite the Raptors' failed years.
As the transfer was not made before the restart, Sam Mitchell, who had his first experience on the bench during the 2004/05 season, had to deal with this burning issue. So much so that the two men, at the beginning of November and in Portland, came to blows according to Jalen Rose's version. The coach having criticized his player for being often injured, which the latter did not appreciate. Atmosphere…
Vince Carter admits he didn't give his all to the Raptors…
Obviously, with a transfer request behind her back, the former Toronto idol is whistled by her own fans, and she even allows herself, in Seattle, to give away her team's systems to opposing players in a tight end to the match! A meeting lost by the Raptors by a small point. On December 8, 2004, to conclude these first weeks of competition, which were quite catastrophic both in substance and form, he injured his Achilles tendon in Detroit.
No longer at all motivated and determined to leave Canada, before his injury, his performances had dropped significantly with only 15.9 points on average at 41% shooting success and even four matches (including the one where he was injured against the Pistons) finished with 5 small points or less…
Finally, the Raptors transferred Vince Carter to New Jersey on December 17, 2004, for a very, very meager consideration for a confirmed All-Star of almost 28 years old: Eric Williams, Aaron Williams and Alonzo Mourning (who will never wear the Canadian jersey) , plus two first rounds of Draft (2005 and 2006). The player was injured at the time of the transfer and the players exchanged were not up to the task, quite clear evidence that this divorce had to be made, as the situation had become untenable.
Last nail to close the coffin: after his transfer to the Nets, Vince Carter gives an interview to John Thompson. The latter asks him this question: “Do you think Vince Carter tried as hard as he should have? » Here is the player's response: “Over the last few years, no. I was lucky to have talent, so you're spoiled when you can do lots of things without really working. Now I think with the injuries and the things I've been through, I have to work harder. » Knowing that his remarks would be controversial among Raptors fans, the player will obviously say that the sentence was taken out of context. But the damage is done and the words are said.
Twenty years to digest divorce
The rest is known. Carter will find color and the playoffs with the Nets. He will face and even eliminate the Raptors in the first round of the playoffs in 2007. The Canadian franchise will take more than a decade after this transfer to pass a first round of playoffs again, before then being at the top of the NBA in 2019 with Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry. The man nicknamed “Vinsanity” would never win the title before his retirement in 2020, after 22 seasons in the NBA.
As we have seen, this divorce was long and painful. Over time, the memorable images of Vince Carter in Toronto have helped erase the player's questionable behavior, injuries and failures between 2001 and 2004. If the Toronto franchise took so many years to honor its former star, This is not without meaning, given the history between the two camps. Although, at the same time, we must not forget that he put the Raptors on the map in the early 2000s. Which will remain the strongest memory and will, obviously, be the center of the ceremony this Saturday evening.
