Image Source: Tom Thai, "Vince Carter", 2008, via https://www.flickr.com/photos/eviltomthai/3032864214
47-year-old Vince Carter is said to be the first former NBA player to have his jersey, No 15, retired and hung from the rafters of the Scotia Bank Arena. Even though he’s native to Florida, he spent 5-1/2 out of his 22 seasons with the Toronto Raptors. He’s had many nicknames including Vinsanity, Air Canada, and Half Man, Half Amazing.
He started with the NBA in 1998 where he was drafted into the Toronto Raptors. An NBA lockout during his rookie season caused the actual season to start in January of 1999. He quickly became a fan favourite with a soaring offensive game which earned him the name Air Canada. He had won the NBA Rookie of the Year award after averaging 18.3 points per game. During his second season, he averaged 25.7 points per game. In December of 2004, he ended up getting traded to the New Jersey Nets where he spent another five seasons. He spent a year with Orlando Magic and a year with the Phoenix Suns where he reached his 20,000th career point during a game between the New York Knicks and the Phoenix Suns. In December of 2011, he signed a three-year contract with the Dallas Mavericks where he surpassed the 23,000-point mark in 2014 becoming the 27th NBA player to do it. In July of 2014, he got traded yet again to the Memphis Grizzlies where he spent another three seasons. In February of 2017, he hit his 2,000th career 3-pointer mark, making him the fifth person to ever reach this point. In 2017, he was traded to the Sacramento Kings, where he only spent a year. After that he signed with the Atlanta Hawks where he spent his final two seasons. He even got to play in Sydney for the 2000 Summer Olympics for the US, winning gold in the sport.
In October of 2023, he announced that he joined YES Network as a part-time analyst for the Brooklyn Nets games. He is the only player in NBA history to appear in games in four different decades the 1990s, the 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s. He’s also one of six players in league history to score 24,000 points, 6,000 rebounds, 2,500 assists, 1,000 steals and 1,000 3-pointers.
The Toronto Raptors are set to retire his jersey on November 2nd in their game against the Sacramento Kings. The Brooklyn Nets are also set to retire his jersey on January 25th, 2025 at the Barclays Centre when they take on the Miami Heat.