“Congratulations to Vinsanity, rightfully so. It makes all the sense in the world he’s done for this franchise, the impact he had in his community.” LeBron James’s tribute to Vince Carter was as classy as you’d expect from the King. Four years after he retired from his two-decades-long NBA career, the Toronto Raptors will now honor the former guard. How? They will retire his jersey and hang it on their home base’s rafters for generations of basketball enthusiasts to glance upon! While LeBron himself didn’t get much chance to compete against Carter during the latter’s Raptors days, he does have some memories that he was willing to share.

Earlier today, the 39-year-old Lakers star participated in a Q&A session, which was highlighted by Jovan Buha. During the same, when asked if he had any memories of Vince Carter’s gameplay style whilst wearing the jersey of the Canadian franchise, LeBron mentally went back two decades to recollect some memories. In the end, he didn’t take long before replying, “I mean he has so many (achievements). I mean, obviously the 50-point game um versus Sixers in the postseason, the rookie windmill, two-handed windmill, backwards dunk versus Indiana on Chris Mullins, went around Chris Mullin, and Rik Smits trapped the Box.”

LeBron didn’t stop there and continued by adding, “I mean the lob in pre-season, down at University of North Carolina, when we got that windmill. I mean, there’s a ton just too many to name. Obviously, the dunk contest, when he shut down the dunk contest.”

Well, those are certainly more than a ‘few’ instances. LeBron James’ memory may have allowed him to put out all the highlights of the former player’s six-year stint with the Toronto Raptors.

The Golden State Warriors initially drafted Vince Carter as the 5th overall pick during the 1998 NBA draft. However, they soon traded him to the Raptors in exchange for Antawn Johnson, the 4th overall draft pick. While he didn’t start playing until February of the next year, his offensive prowess immediately put him in the spotlight. As a result, along with taking home the Rookie of the Year title, Carter also earned the nickname of “Air Canada.” By his second season, the player was averaging 25.7 points per game, which was reportedly the fourth-highest in the league. And of course, as highlighted by LeBron James, Carter was a sight to marvel upon during the Slam Dunk Contests. The 360° windmill, between-the-legs bounce dunk, and the ‘elbow in the rim’ dunk (aka the ‘cookie jar’, or the ‘honey dip’).

The dunk made around Rik Smits is something that even Carter himself continues to remember fondly. Touching base upon it earlier this year, the now 47-year-old revealed “I remember the dunk. I did that dunk trying to protect myself because I thought Dale Davis was going to take me out. Going past Chris Mullin — and Chris Mullin and I had a conversation about it actually — I knew I could go by him. I see Rik Smits, I was like ‘okay, cool.’ I also see Dale Davis on the other side. That was more protecting myself, initially thinking ‘oh, reverse layup.’ But there’s a rim. I dunked it, and I ran about my business.” While not much thought may have been given on the shot then, it certainly became embedded in the mind of a future NBA player who would go on to break the All-Time Scoring record.

Vince Carter’s tenure with the Toronto Raptors had it’s ups, and it certainly had it’s downs too. As highlighted by a CBC article literally titled “Vince Carter: His rise and fall with the Raptors”, the player’s downfall began when he missed a crucial shot during Game 7 of the Playoffs series against the Philadelphia 76ers. Later on, injury complications with his knee caused the shooting guard/small forward to miss out on quite a few games. This raised the issue of whether the player was worth the 6-year, $94-million extension he had signed back then. By 2004, he was traded to the Raptors. However, just like the franchise, LeBron James now looks to celebrate only the positive aspects of Carter’s time with his first team.

LeBron James believes that Vince Carter changed how people see basketball in Canada: “Well-Deserved”

In it’s almost eight decades long history, the NBA has seen many greats come and go. Greats whose legacy continues standing as a threshold for aspiring players to reach. No one can place Vince Carter on the same pedestal as Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson. However, he was the one who put the Toronto Raptors on the map by helping them reach the playoffs thrice during the post Jordan-Bulls era. Therefore, LeBron James can remember the dunks and offensive prowess of any player he respects. However, he is not someone who may highlight the cultural impact of an NBA legend so easily.

“It makes all the sense in the world (to honor Carter)” said the 39-year-old. “With what he’s done for this franchise, the impact that he had in this community, the way he changed how basketball is looked at in Canada itself, obviously (in) Toronto. Well-deserved.”

Many people have reiterated the same belief during the recent days. According to former CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, John Lashway, “He (Carter) brought eyeballs to the Raptors and to the City of Toronto and to the NBA as a whole, people who otherwise would have either not been paying attention or been watching players in other markets.”

Vince Carter was at the right place at the right time to put his talents to the spotlight. Now, they are honoring him in the manner that he deserves.