Vince Carter Raptors Jersey

Vince Carter began his NBA career in 1998 when he was drafted by the Golden State Warriors. His stay there was short-lived however, and was traded to the Toronto Raptors for Antawn Jamison. Sporting his new #15 Raptors jersey, Carter's rookie season was a short 50 game series in 1999 due to the NBA locking out its players in 1998-99. Vince Carter started almost every single game and went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award.

In the 2000 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, Carter showed up with an arsenal of dunks including a 360 degree windmill, a between the legs bounce dunk, and an 'elbow in the rim dunk' (also known as a 'cookie jar dunk', or the 'honey dip'. Needless to say he championed the event and won the contest. During Carter's first two seasons, the Toronto Raptors had both Carter and his distant cousin Tracy McGrady (Toronto Raptors jersey #1) on board, forming a formidable duo of team mates. The two led the Toronto Raptors to their first playoff berth in 2000 only to be eliminated by the New York Knicks in the first round. Thereafter, McGrady departed for Orlando the following season, making way for Carter to become the face and leader of Toronto Raptors' franchise.

That year the Raptors completed the season with a franchise record of 47 wins. That summer (2001) the Toronto Raptors offered Vince Carter a $94 million, 6 year extension with the team. The following year rained several injuries on Carter. Sadly Raptors jersey #15 spent some time off the court as a result. In fact, despite being voted into the 2002 NBA All-Star Game, he wasn't able to play due to an injury. Without Carter, the team's star player, the Raptors did not see much success. They lost 17 out of 18 games dropping to 30-38, then won 12 of the last 14 to finish at 42-40.

Displaying a glimpse of his good character, Vince Carter gave up his starting All-Star spot to Michael Jordan to allow Michael to make his last start as an All-Star. Along his Raptors career, Carter developed jumper's knee in his left knee. In addition to this ongoing frustration, he also became frustrated with the way the Raptors team was being managed. These among other things led to his eventual trade, causing the Vince Carter Raptors jersey to be hung up for good.