Vince Carter to have Toronto Raptors jersey retired on November 2nd

It’s finally happening, a Toronto Raptor will have their jersey hung from the rafters at Scotiabank Arena — fitting that it’s the first guy to ever score points in the arena. Vince Carter’s jersey will be retired by the franchise on November 2nd, when the Raptors play the Sacramento Kings, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.

A long time coming, fans have been begging the Raptors to do this for what seems like ages. The timing works out though, as Carter is being inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame next month. It also comes before the Brooklyn Nets are set to retire Carter’s jersey at Barclay’s in January.

Despite the somewhat rocky departure of Carter from the Raptors, the legend still gets a warm welcome whenever he returns to Toronto. Sure, it took a bit of time after he left for them to warm back up to him — he was relentlessly booed in his first return after leaving — but tickets to this game are going to be a hot commodity.

This celebration comes as part of the Toronto Raptors’ 30th anniversary celebrations. The team is set to hold various theme nights, celebrations and ceremonies honouring three decades of NBA basketball in Toronto.

While the team has not confirmed this story or released any information regarding the ceremony itself, apparently the long wait has to do more with another Raptor legend. The franchise was reportedly waiting to see if Kyle Lowry would retire so they could retire his jersey first. With K-Low still suiting up to play and Carter’s HOF induction coming, it made more sense to retire Carter’s now and Lowry’s later.

Lewenberg did report that another date option for Carter’s jersey retirement was Philadelphia’s first game in Toronto. That would have meant Lowry would be in the building, but ultimately another Raptor legend will be there. DeMar DeRozan now plays for the Sacramento Kings, and will be in attendance when Carter’s ceremony happens.

The first of a few memorable jersey retirements to ultimately happen for this franchise, Vince Carter’s marks a monumental moment for a relatively young franchise.