Rank these former Raptors from most deserving to least deserving of their Jersey being retired?

[xAIRNESSx]

Everyone but Bosh probably for me.

Can't believe we gave #2 to the rook.

[KrazyP]

None of them. But if I had to choose

Demar, Vince, Bosh, Kawhi.

Loyalty matters, tenure matters.

This. Kawhi came in here for a single season and took the team over the top but some fans dont seem understand that 2019 wouldnt have happenned if it wasnt for the work put in and development of the franchise and team chemistry from 2013-2018. Teams don't just simply go from 0-100 by adding a single player......look at the Clippers.

Kawhi was a unique situation. He's the type of guy that probably would have refused to report here under different circumstances. The reason he played out the season was because he had something to prove to the NBA --- pending free agent, injured the year before, labeled team cancer.

Demar/Vince made a bigger impact on Raptors basketball than Kawhi. Lowry is obviously #1. Bosh to me is a completely inconsequential after thought.

[Clay Davis]

Someone tell me of any of the four main NA sports, where a guy played one year, won a title, left, and they retied his jersey. Its just so bad.

We The North baby ain't no one baddd enough to name themselves after a dinosaur because of a dinosaur movie.

Sent from my moto g(8) power lite using RealGM mobile app

[Harcore Fenton Mun]

1 year, but that run tho.

Maybe not first, but we'll be talking about that shot for years.

[asuran]

Vince is definitely the top choice from this list.
Kawhi would be top choice had he played at least 3 years with us.
Bosh, big chunk of his HOF career was with us.
Demar

[Rapsalot]

KLow
End
All the others added value to Raptors but not in a way I would hang Jersey! I would put in a ring of Honor and or have a legends Lane in a hall or atrium of building where all the folks in this post be there. Only Statue and Jersey for Kyle.

? Did you stay with Raptors 5+ years and re-sign?
Is there a burned bridge where your Jersey should hang?
Did you help lead us to finals or win Chip?
Did you make Organization better on and off court?
Were you a long term starter or started on the team that went to finals?

DD is close but you have to have extra-ordinary success. His playoffs years just did not help him. PS, FVV maybe OG (OG would have to contribute a lot over years) if they stay and leave with grace.
KLaw was obviously the best player on Chip team but no longevity. If he and Danny had stayed one more year I believe we would have repeated even if KLaw did not think we could as is??? FVV, OG, PS NP all grew over that year and we would have won again. His desires over the team are fine but you don’t reward that with ultimate honors!

[WaltFrazier]

Lowry only, none of those 4. Loved Kawhi but not for one year stint.

[Tacoma]

Given the horrific mismanagement of the Raptors most years prior to Masai, I don't consider team success very highly in this ranking. E.g., Vince's best teammate (Antonio Davis) wouldn't be a starter on the 2019 team.

Since this season is over for the Raptors and Lowry is likely to sign with another (contending) team, he is for all intents and purposes, a former Raptors player. He's clearly ranked #1, no further explanation needed.

#2 Vince: The first "superstar" we've ever had. He raised the profile of the team as the Raptors appeared on many American Network TV including a rare Christmas Day game. Many of today's younger Canadian players named Vince as the reason why they started playing bball. Vince has also been one of the more prolific players past and present at giving back to the City, including launching a scholarship program in Toronto a few months ago (especially commendable since it's been 16 years since he left).

#3 DeRozan: He still holds many Raptors all time records and co-led the team to it's best winning run (2013-2018) and though he wasn't there in 2019, he was a key player in establishing a winning culture in TO that was the backbone of the 2019 Championship season. He would tell anyone who'd listen how great TO is and contributed back to our City.

I don't consider Kawhi a candidate for Jersey retirement Though he was key to our Championship, based on his lack of success in LAC, it's clear that he needed us as much as we needed him. In order to have your Raptors jersey retired, you need to at the very least want to be here. He was traded here against his wishes and took the first train he could out of town.

I also don't consider Bosh a candidate for jersey retirement for reason he made numerous disparaging remarks about Toronto/Canada. That's an intentional disservice to Toronto and it would be an insult, IMO, to have his jersey retired here.

[VancouverRaps]

Someone tell me of any of the four main NA sports, where a guy played one year, won a title, left, and they retied his jersey. Its just so bad.

Ray Bourque is the closest example but he played like one and a half seasons I think and then retired after instead of leaving for another team

[Young_Buc]

Vince (he is a hall of famer primarily because of his time with the raptors. He also is arguably the most exciting player of all time)
DeRozan (he's basically our Wendel Clarke or Mats Sundin all Star, longtime loyal player but not mvp or champion)


Kawhi (shouldn't happen. Could you imagine the Lakers retiring ADs number if he left? Silly for even suggested)

Bosh (ha! Yeah right. 3 playoff wins)

[7 Footer]

The correct answer here is none of them.

[BBS22]

Retiring a jersey should mean something. What you did for the franchise, city, and on court play.

Demar - Gave everything to this city. Multiple years/records.

Giant separation:
Carter/Bosh - About the same level. Both did a lot of work on and off the court but not enough success. Carter got us past the first round that's about it. First superstar, put us on the map. It's an interesting conversation but not sure I'd retire Carter's number even.
Kawhi - 1 season is the biggest holdback. Finals MVP, incredible run in the playoffs. But it's one season. I would want a longer resume from someone before I say "no one can wear this number again". Are the Spurs likely to retire Kawhi's jersey? Probably not.

[Parataxis]

I guess you don’t feel Portland should retire Dame jersey? No leaf was good enough to have number retired since 67?

In the 55 years since the last Cup, only 5 players who didn't play before '67 have had their numbers retired (less than 1 a decade average), and - with the exception of Doug Gilmour - all of them put in at least a dozen seasons in a Leafs jersey.

[PerfectJab]

Vince and DeMar. Vince put us on the map, and I still think his 48 point playoff game against the Sixers was the single greatest playoff performance of a Raptor to date. Demar, because he was a multi-year all-star who was critical to our rise to perennial playoff status. I wouldn't let anyone wear #2 for a long time, but I wouldn't retire it. I am inclined not to retire #4, but when he gets into the Hall of Fame, if he gives the Raptors their due for developing him, I might reconsider.

I've never understood what the heck this meant. People spew statements, begging the question, without knowing what they are saying assuming it is true based on its frequency of use.

When he left the franchise was in shambles and we were a losing team during and after his tenure. Did he help cement the roadmap of Toronto losing? Is that what putting Toronto on the basketball map means?

Is it due to US media exposure? Additional US media exposure validates a team and puts them on the map? If it is, I don't know why this would make anyone or any team feel validated not to mention this very exposure went away after he left. So putting a team on a map is temporary?

Did VC help with recruitment? Free agents were not flocking to the city during and after his departure.

How exactly did he put one of the largest cities in North America that is a proven sports city on the map? Were people unaware of that a team named the Toronto Raptor's existed despite seeing them in the standings and facing them as an opponent?

[Kingsway_fan]

Vince hands down... so glad I had seasons tickets... he was our Kobe.... generational talent to play for raps during his prime.... no one comes close.

[douggood]

kawhi doesnt even get a sniff at my list, a 1 year player getting his number retired wtf. kawhi has his name on the championship banner and thats enough.

Demar and then VInce get my vote.

bosh was a pretty easy no for me, i dont remember any of the season he played for us, and i was shocked when i looked up his numbers a while back, he played 7 years for us, i just thought he left after his rookie year or something.

[Morris_Shatford]

My feeling is that Lowry needs to go up before we even have discussions about the other four.

[Mattd97]

None should be. But to answer the flawed question,

Demar


Vince
Kawhi







Bosh

[arbsn]

ill be totally satisfied if Kyle Lowry is the only Raptor jersey retired from the previous Raptors 'stars'

[Courtside]

None of them. Only Kyle has truly earned it.

But of those - if you had to choose at keast one - only Vince is worthy, and even there it would be more for promotion of the game in Canada rather than high level results. It would be a fitting way to tie a bow on that not-so-great part of our history.

Demar and Bosh are the same for me... good stepping stones, but not jersey retirement.

Kawhi is the ultimate outlier. Do you reward him for being the biggest mercenary winner ever? I think you memorialize him in sone way for the title and for The Shot, but also not a jersey retirement. That would just be weird/desperate, considering he has already been gone longer than he was here, and likely holds very little regard for that year here. At least for now. History has a way of changing opinions sometimes, so maybe down the road opinions will change.