NBA News: Vince Carter Moved To Tears After Raptors Honor Him

Vince Carter, who is by far the most popular Toronto Raptor of all-time, was honored by the Toronto Raptors during tonight’s game between Carter’s Memphis Grizzlies and the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The Toronto Raptors were founded in 1995 and, just three years later, they acquired Vince Carter from the Golden State Warriors on draft night. If it weren’t for Carter joining the Raptors in 1998, there may not be a professional basketball team in Toronto.

Carter was traded in his sixth season with the Raptors to the New Jersey Nets after Carter became unhappy with his situation in Toronto, and admittedly quit on the team in an effort to make them trade him elsewhere.

Since Carter has left Toronto, it’s been a struggle for the Raptors up until recent years. It seems that the Raptors have finally, after all these years, found a replacement for Carter in DeMar Derozan and have become one of the best teams in the eastern conference.

Over the years, Raptors fans have resented Carter for wanting to leave the franchise that he pretty much made, and would boo him every time he would return to Toronto as an opponent.

Now it’s been nearly a decade since Vince Carter was a Raptor and, after the Raptors organization decided to pay tribute to Carter during tonight’s game, it would seem that the fans in Toronto have finally forgiven Carter and are able to appreciate what he did for basketball in Toronto.

When Carter’s tribute video began playing in the arena, fans booed at first, but were then won over and eventually gave Carter a standing ovation after seeing highlights from Carter as a Raptor and reliving what was the golden age of basketball in the city of Toronto.

After the video concluded, Carter stood up off of the Grizzlies’ bench and acknowledged the standing ovation from the Toronto crowd. When the ovation kept carrying on, the video tribute of Carter was replayed in the arena and, while watching the video tribute and listening to the cheers from the Toronto fans, Carter couldn’t hold back his tears.

Carter, who is now 37, is entering the final years of his NBA career. Last season, when playing for the Dallas Mavericks, Carter evolved into one of the best role players in the league, and accepted the fact that could no longer be the best player on his team anymore.

Now that he’s accepted what he is as a player, if things don’t work out for him in Memphis, he could be headed for a return to Toronto to finish his career. Although a Carter return to the Raptors is unlikely, it sure would be great to see.

[Image via USA Today]