Vince Carter wants fans to understand “the full story” of the exit

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A few hours before the jersey retirement ceremony, Vince Carter gave an emotional talk to the media at the Scotiabank Arena on Saturday.

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Carter was moved to tears several times during the 35-minute question-and-answer session, where family members including his mother and three children sat at the front.

Carter’s No. 15 will be the first jersey the Raptors take off at halftime of the game against the Sacramento Kings later Saturday.

Carter knows his ugly exit in 2004 still angers some fans, but said: “I understand that maybe that’s where the frustration comes from, because the guy we were starting to like is now moving on.” But I’ve always said, especially to close friends, that you can have your frustrations, but you need to understand the full story before articulating your anger, especially when you don’t really know what’s really going on (behind the scenes of a franchise that’s collapsing). under mismanagement),” Carter said.

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“I was the guy that wanted to fly through arenas and get involved with people, that’s why people fell in love, that’s why I understand why people were sad and had their feelings,” Carter said as dozens of fans peered through the glass Arena near Legend’s Row to watch his media conference. “I think that’s where the love came from and that’s where the frustration came from (when I moved on).

“I think that all these emotions and feelings of now, of knowing now, spoil the entire experience, not just six years, 22 years of back and forth.” “Hehe, haha, VC, shit” to the congratulations. It’s all in one,” Carter said.

Carter recalled his early days in Toronto, from what he thought was a poor pre-draft workout that actually thrilled Glen Grunwald, Butch Carter and the rest of the Toronto executives at the time, to the origins when he was in high school School picked No. 15 Florida. He cited the Game 5 win over the New York Knicks, which sent him to the second round of the playoffs for the first time, as his biggest highlight as a Raptor and explained how he always maintained a connection with the city of Toronto, including working on his new assignment, some Sportsnet Raptors broadcasts with his close friends Alvin Williams and Matt Devlin, as well as to Canada, and how proud he is of his influence in helping to inspire so many people in this country to play basketball.

Carter said the moment “means everything. And the legacy is still growing. And I think again, that’s the icing on the cake. This is the arc to complete the circle… I feel like my feelings speak louder than words. It tells a story. And you know, it’s just an appreciation of where we’ve been, where we’ve gotten to, and where we are now, and now if you end that with a bow, you know what I’m saying. So there’s nothing more to say if you can’t really understand it, I mean walking around with deaf ears and blind eyes.”

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