Raptors and Clippers to be only franchises with no retired jerseys

[PerfectJab]

Definitely not VC because of how he left. Should be Lowry first and then Demar.

#7 and #10 have not been worn since they left btw.

I vehemently disagree. Vince HAS TO be the first. He was the one that put the Raptors on the map.
Yes, the way he left was not nice, but you should not define one of your greatest Icons on one single Incident.

When people think about Vince Carter, they think about him Dunking and Flying all over the place - in a Raptors Uniform

When other people think about the Raptors, they see Vince Carter dunking on someone's head.

As great Lowry was for the raptors, nobody watched the raptors because of him. Thus everybody was watching VC.

Carter took us to the promise land 2nd round and gave us 2 winning seasons. He doesn't deserve to have his jersey retired for his ability to dunk. I don't think he deserves to get his number retired because a) he wasn't good enough (unless nice looking dunks holds some relevance to being good), b) he didn't win and c) the way it ended is not something that will ever be forgotten. It's like a stain on his legacy regardless of how you look at it. I think most would agree that Jersey retirements are mostly unanimous. The perception on him is just too mixed and again he wasn't good enough or win enough for it to be overlooked.

This whole he put us on the map is BS. Toronto is the one of the largest cities in North America and houses most of the big sports teams (except NFL due to politics). We love our sports and it takes time to gather momentum. You have to remember prior to there being a Raptors team we were stuck with one or 2 games per week from NBA on NBC. Is it that big of a surprise that with changing demographics, a new stadium and additional tv coverage led to a surge in popularity? The Jays weren't exactly popular when they started either.

This Carter "on the map' thing is more nostalgia for the younger kids that remember basketball as part of their childhood due to increased basketball coverage. Prior to Carter, my idol was Jordan because it was the team that was shown on NBC all the time. I think people overestimate Carters influence. If it wasn't him, it would be someone else.

[Mattatron]

Definitely not VC because of how he left. Should be Lowry first and then Demar.

#7 and #10 have not been worn since they left btw.

I vehemently disagree. Vince HAS TO be the first. He was the one that put the Raptors on the map.
Yes, the way he left was not nice, but you should not define one of your greatest Icons on one single Incident.

When people think about Vince Carter, they think about him Dunking and Flying all over the place - in a Raptors Uniform

When other people think about the Raptors, they see Vince Carter dunking on someone's head.

As great Lowry was for the raptors, nobody watched the raptors because of him. Thus everybody was watching VC.

Carter took us to the promise land 2nd round and gave us 2 winning seasons. He doesn't deserve to have his jersey retired for his ability to dunk. I don't think he deserves to get his number retired because a) he wasn't good enough (unless nice looking dunks holds some relevance to being good), b) he didn't win and c) the way it ended is not something that will ever be forgotten. It's like a stain on his legacy regardless of how you look at it. I think most would agree that Jersey retirements are mostly unanimous. The perception on him is just too mixed and again he wasn't good enough or win enough for it to be overlooked.

This whole he put us on the map is BS. Toronto is the one of the largest cities in North America and houses most of the big sports teams (except NFL due to politics). We love our sports and it takes time to gather momentum. You have to remember prior to there being a Raptors team we were stuck with one or 2 games per week from NBA on NBC. Is it that big of a surprise that with changing demographics, a new stadium and additional tv coverage led to a surge in popularity? The Jays weren't exactly popular when they started either.

This Carter "on the map' thing is more nostalgia for the younger kids that remember basketball as part of their childhood due to increased basketball coverage. Prior to Carter, my idol was Jordan because it was the team that was shown on NBC all the time. I think people overestimate Carters influence. If it wasn't him, it would be someone else.

This. 100%.

[maternal85]

Definitely not VC because of how he left. Should be Lowry first and then Demar.

#7 and #10 have not been worn since they left btw.

I vehemently disagree. Vince HAS TO be the first. He was the one that put the Raptors on the map.
Yes, the way he left was not nice, but you should not define one of your greatest Icons on one single Incident.

When people think about Vince Carter, they think about him Dunking and Flying all over the place - in a Raptors Uniform

When other people think about the Raptors, they see Vince Carter dunking on someone's head.

As great Lowry was for the raptors, nobody watched the raptors because of him. Thus everybody was watching VC.

Carter took us to the promise land 2nd round and gave us 2 winning seasons. He doesn't deserve to have his jersey retired for his ability to dunk. I don't think he deserves to get his number retired because a) he wasn't good enough (unless nice looking dunks holds some relevance to being good), b) he didn't win and c) the way it ended is not something that will ever be forgotten. It's like a stain on his legacy regardless of how you look at it. I think most would agree that Jersey retirements are mostly unanimous. The perception on him is just too mixed and again he wasn't good enough or win enough for it to be overlooked.

This whole he put us on the map is BS. Toronto is the one of the largest cities in North America and houses most of the big sports teams (except NFL due to politics). We love our sports and it takes time to gather momentum. You have to remember prior to there being a Raptors team we were stuck with one or 2 games per week from NBA on NBC. Is it that big of a surprise that with changing demographics, a new stadium and additional tv coverage led to a surge in popularity? The Jays weren't exactly popular when they started either.

This Carter "on the map' thing is more nostalgia for the younger kids that remember basketball as part of their childhood due to increased basketball coverage. Prior to Carter, my idol was Jordan because it was the team that was shown on NBC all the time. I think people overestimate Carters influence. If it wasn't him, it would be someone else.

The notion that we'd leave like the Grizzlies is nonsense. But everything else, Carter fans have a point. If it wasn't him, it'd be someone else ? A few players had that chance and couldn't do it. The fact is, it was him. Carter Accelerated the process plain and simple. The franchise lost its virginity in many areas, and that's the obsession Toronto Carter fans are still holding on too.

As for me I don't care if his jersey gets retired or not. As long as I look up and see Lowry jersey. And maybe KL2 ?? But if or when Carter makes the hall of fame, I think MLSE will retire his jersey. It'd give the franchise more legitimacy. More of a legacy..

[aj174]

VC and Bosh are never getting retired in Toronto

Lowry is for sure, DeMar maybe, Kawhi maybe

[Parataxis]

No retired player worth doing it for. Yeah, that means no Carter.

Lowry should be first. I would do DeMar and Kawhi next. But no one else.

You don't retire the jersey of a rental player. No matter how good the season was.

[NeoDragonKnight]

VC and Bosh are never getting retired in Toronto

Lowry is for sure, DeMar maybe, Kawhi maybe

Bosh especially so, after going out of his way not to mention Toronto at all in his HoF speech, that, after he pretended to be a Raptor again during the Championship run to leech attention.

[D.Brasco]

Definitely not VC because of how he left. Should be Lowry first and then Demar.

#7 and #10 have not been worn since they left btw.

I vehemently disagree. Vince HAS TO be the first. He was the one that put the Raptors on the map.
Yes, the way he left was not nice, but you should not define one of your greatest Icons on one single Incident.

When people think about Vince Carter, they think about him Dunking and Flying all over the place - in a Raptors Uniform

When other people think about the Raptors, they see Vince Carter dunking on someone's head.

As great Lowry was for the raptors, nobody watched the raptors because of him. Thus everybody was watching VC.

This Carter "on the map' thing is more nostalgia for the younger kids that remember basketball as part of their childhood due to increased basketball coverage. Prior to Carter, my idol was Jordan because it was the team that was shown on NBC all the time. I think people overestimate Carters influence. If it wasn't him, it would be someone else.

Disagree, because there has been no "someone else" in the franchise in the near 20 years since he's left. Bosh, Derozen, Lowry, none of them captured the attention of the city and country on a star level the way Vince did. Some of them played on better constructed teams and thus found more success but there has been no Vinsanity equivalent in 20 years. Kawhi came close but he literally had to win the ring.

Keep seeing people posting here that Carter's impact was overrated, when you have actual Canadian NBA players citing him as their influence.

[And1Skip]

I vehemently disagree. Vince HAS TO be the first. He was the one that put the Raptors on the map.
Yes, the way he left was not nice, but you should not define one of your greatest Icons on one single Incident.

When people think about Vince Carter, they think about him Dunking and Flying all over the place - in a Raptors Uniform

When other people think about the Raptors, they see Vince Carter dunking on someone's head.

As great Lowry was for the raptors, nobody watched the raptors because of him. Thus everybody was watching VC.

This Carter "on the map' thing is more nostalgia for the younger kids that remember basketball as part of their childhood due to increased basketball coverage. Prior to Carter, my idol was Jordan because it was the team that was shown on NBC all the time. I think people overestimate Carters influence. If it wasn't him, it would be someone else.

Disagree, because there has been no "someone else" in the franchise in the near 20 years since he's left. Bosh, Derozen, Lowry, none of them captured the attention of the city and country on a star level the way Vince did. Some of them played on better constructed teams and thus found more success but there has been no Vinsanity equivalent in 20 years. Kawhi came close but he literally had to win the ring.

Keep seeing people posting here that Carter's impact was overrated, when you have actual Canadian NBA players citing him as their influence.

I remember I was at an arcade/games place in Michigan last year with my kids and as always I wear my Raptors cap, jacket so a staff member would comment on it and first thing he talks to me about is Vince Carter and this is after we won the championship few years ago. Nothing will ever compare to the unbelievable impact he had on basketball culture in general. It's the reason why he will be inducted to the HoF and its mostly because of his time in Toronto.

Yeah I'm 43 and very old, but its not like I wasn't a basketball fan before VC. I was a big fan of Jordan and Fab 5 Michigan to the point that I was really excited just to have a terrible Jimmy King on the team. You guys won't believe me, but Damon Stoudamire had a huge impact too - his popularity here was through the roof, the day he was signing autographs at Fairview mall, the mall was packed and a lot of kids were left without meeting him. In 2014, I casually strolled down Yonge St with my baby daughter and saw DeMar was at Champs Sports signing autographs and there was literally 0 line-up, so was able to meet him, get his autograph and take a picture with my baby, and talk to him that my daughter was born same time as her daughter Diar. For Lowry, I easily got to meet him and got him to sign my Lowry watch and for him to say Happy Bday on it.

But anyway, based on my own observations without any stupid grudges against anyone, the VC era was unbelievable. Yes, I will cherish my experience of 2019 championship, and most of my paraphernalia was from that year including all my finals stuff. But you can't discount the craziness of Vinsanity when it happened (again, forgive and forget). VC got a big standing ovation at Game 5 of the finals (with a scatter of boos of course), so maybe that's enough gratitude to some people. Yeah he's not GROAT, but his contributions need to be remembered.

[XTC]

VC will get his jersey retired, but not before Lowry. Lowry will be the first jersey in the rafters, followed by Demar & Vince.

[kalel123]

No retired player worth doing it for. Yeah, that means no Carter.

Lowry should be first. I would do DeMar and Kawhi next. But no one else.

You don't retire the jersey of a rental player. No matter how good the season was.

You do if he carried you to your lone championship, something we may very well not see again in our lifetime. And certainly a whole lot more impressive than anything the likes of Vince Carter did for this team.

[PerfectJab]

I vehemently disagree. Vince HAS TO be the first. He was the one that put the Raptors on the map.
Yes, the way he left was not nice, but you should not define one of your greatest Icons on one single Incident.

When people think about Vince Carter, they think about him Dunking and Flying all over the place - in a Raptors Uniform

When other people think about the Raptors, they see Vince Carter dunking on someone's head.

As great Lowry was for the raptors, nobody watched the raptors because of him. Thus everybody was watching VC.

This Carter "on the map' thing is more nostalgia for the younger kids that remember basketball as part of their childhood due to increased basketball coverage. Prior to Carter, my idol was Jordan because it was the team that was shown on NBC all the time. I think people overestimate Carters influence. If it wasn't him, it would be someone else.

Disagree, because there has been no "someone else" in the franchise in the near 20 years since he's left. Bosh, Derozen, Lowry, none of them captured the attention of the city and country on a star level the way Vince did. Some of them played on better constructed teams and thus found more success but there has been no Vinsanity equivalent in 20 years. Kawhi came close but he literally had to win the ring.

Keep seeing people posting here that Carter's impact was overrated, when you have actual Canadian NBA players citing him as their influence.

Of course they're going to say that, Carter by default had way more coverage than any other player. If you're Canadian you get more Raptors coverage, you'll likely be a Raptors fan and you'll likely favorite the best player on the team, it's a no brainer.

Again, I think people overstate Carters influence because it happened at a time when they were growing up and had time to be passionate and idolize basketball players. My parents and a lot of other boomers for that matter have no idea who Vince Carter is so let's not act like Canadians in general were idolizing him.

As someone who was a fan of the NBA since the early 90's he didn't get me into basketball, but I definitely watched more NBA after the Raptors became a franchise because I was able to. VC was fun to watch because of his dunking, that's what made him different but people treat it like there weren't basketball courts decades before VC and the NBA was nothing here which just isn't true. NBA increased it's popularity in Canada because Canada had a team.

[6ixSideSniper]

The only players I personally care about getting their jerseys retired is Lowry and DeRozan.

Vince will 100% get his jersey retired by the Raptors even if I don’t agree with it, I only hope it comes after them.

Bosh is not even worth mentioning, we’d be a joke of a franchise if we entertain hanging up his jersey.

[mowcrowbar]

We can both retire Kawhi. 2 birds with 1 stone.

I'd be surprised if Kawhi even comes here for the ceremony knowing how disinterested he is about most things