Vince Carter wants to go into Hall of Fame as a Toronto Raptor: 'It's where it started'

Vince Carter wants to go into Hall of Fame as a Toronto Raptor: ‘It’s where it started’

The finalists for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2024 were revealed at NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, and the headliner is Half Man, Half Amazing.

Vince Carter is all but certain to become a first-ballot Hall of Famer, a well-deserved honor to recognize his electrifying and record-breaking basketball career.

Carter’s 22 seasons played are the most in NBA history, and he made legitimate contributions to every team he played on from his start in 1998 to his retirement in 2020. The 1999 Rookie of the Year and an eight-time All-Star, he’s widely considered the best dunker in NBA history and has become the barometer in the Slam Dunk Contest.

Beyond the NBA, Carter also helped Team USA earn two gold medals — one at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, and another at the 2003 FIBA Americas Championship in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

There is no question he deserves to be enshrined among the greatest players to ever play the game, but there was uncertainty if he would enter the Hall of Fame with the Raptors or the Nets.

Carter cleared the air on that dilemma Wednesday on FanDuel’s “Run It Back” show.

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Vince Carter wants to go into the Hall of Fame as a Raptor

“Run It Back” host and former Raptors Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams asked Carter the hard-hitting question: “Which jersey are you rocking [in the] Hall of Fame if you had to choose one? Both legendary stops.”

“Toronto. Toronto. Toronto,” Carter said without hesitation.

“It has to be,” Carter continued. “It’s where it started. Yes, I had great years in [New] Jersey but it started [in Toronto] and my confidence and understanding the player that I could be in the league was trending upwards still in Toronto.”

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Carter did reach the NBA Finals with the Nets, but he played more seasons with the Raptors.

Carter was a five-time All-Star with Toronto, where he played from 1998 to 2004, and a three-time All-Star with the Nets franchise in New Jersey, where he played from 2004 to 2009.

Both of his All-NBA seasons were with Toronto. He also scored more points in a Raptors uniform (9,420) than he did in a Nets uniform (8,834).

And his most iconic moment — the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest — will be etched in NBA history in a Raptors uniform.

When you also consider Carter’s invaluable everlasting impact in influencing the rise of basketball in Canada, there isn’t much argument to be had over his decision.