Vince 
Carter put the Toronto Raptors on the map. For a young franchise in the NBA playing outside the United States, you can see why “Air Canada” meant so much to the city and to the Raptors organization. They don’t garner much interest from big free agents, having to build their roster through the draft, which has been a problem facing Toronto since its inception into the league.
Then Vince Carter changed all that. He made the Raptors exciting, using his agility and raw athleticism to wow crowds with unbelievable dunks and acrobatic plays. On Wednesday night, Toronto welcomed him back with cheers and applause as they continue to celebrate their 20th anniversary as an NBA franchise.
The visiting Grizzlies, who Carter now plays for at age 38 in his 17th season, came in with a league best 10-1 record. The Raptors, on the other hand, were an Eastern Conference best 8-2.
In honor of Carter, the Raptors made a tribute to him thanking him for his time as a member of the franchise that played during a timeout of the game.
Megan Robinson, a Sportsnet reporter and sportscaster in Toronto, posted this photo to her Twitter account at the Air Canada Centre where the teams faced off.
Vince Carter tribute happening now. “I’m proud to be a former member of the Toronto Raptors.” Fans giving ovation. pic.twitter.com/Q3mLwdiy1O
— Megan Robinson (@RobinsonMegan) November 20, 2014
Fans there initially booed, but quickly corrected themselves to cheers and a standing ovation for the former Raptor who spent the first six plus seasons with the team. Raptors players cheered and applauded as well, showing their respect to Carter.
During the tribute, Carter appeared to be a bit emotional, the display of appreciation by the Raptors and their fans bringing him to tears. Watch how it went down below:
It is always great to see respect and gratitude shown between players and organizations. It’s cool to see things like this once in a while.
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