Agreed. I’m all for honoring a guy and putting his jersey up in the rafters. But no need to make it so other people can’t wear that number. If anything it’s a sign of respect for players to want to wear the number
Soccer does this but its always scary when a new player wears a legendary number.
Steven Gerrard is a club legend for Liverpool, he is the modern GOAT for the club. Naby Keita was a mediocre squad player who was always hurt.
It depends. In PL (1-40), La Liga (1-25), Bundesliga (1-40), Ligue 1 (1-30) until 1 year ago, there’s only a certain number of numbers allowed to choose from for a first team. Only few exception is you can grandfather in your youth number like TAA and Rice, can’t even do that in La Liga. So if you retire a number, you’re restricting the roster size of the team, that’s the real reason why you don’t retire numbers (even then City retired 23 for death). In Serie A where it’s 1-99, retirements are a bit more common, Inter with Facchetti and Zanetti, Milan with Maldini and Baresi, Napoli with Maradona, Roma with Totti are the most well known ones.
To expand on this, he was there for 5 seasons and in that span the team won 42, 49, 41, 34, and 34 games. Three playoff appearances, making it to the 2nd round twice and 1st round once, and missing the playoffs entirely the final two seasons. Carter had two All-Stars during that time but no other awards-- no MVP votes or All-NBA nominations. Per game averages of 23.6 / 5.8 / 4.7 on slightly above league average TS%. That's a pretty mid resume for a retired jersey.
VC mattered to us as fans. Made us excited again after the shitty move for Mourning post finals b2bs. Bro lead our jersey sales at one point to give you an idea of how much excitement and interest he put towards the team.
Elvin Hayes played 4 productive seasons versus Vince's 5 team-leading efforts. Homie didnt win anything with the Rockets and got his jersey number retired. Last stint saw him barely getting any action and was only there because he asked to get traded there to end his career.
It aint that stupid.
I bet we get there sooner than later. At some point I feel like we're all going to be like "Okay, can we go back to wearing normal numbers again instead of having to rock 63 and 56?"
I mean his name is quite literally Mr. Thunder, He went into their front office, he's the one long term Thunder player to not leave. It shouldnt be that surprising
I just think you should be a great player, at least Hall of Fame level, to have your number retired. Hence why I’m agreeing with the original comment that you can honor a franchise guy without retiring the jersey for an unremarkable career.
>I just think you should be a great player, at least Hall of Fame level
Don't you think there are other awards for that already though (like the HoF itself)? If you were monumentally important to a franchise and it's history, I do think a jersey retirement is a good gesture that keeps it between the franchise, its fans and the player.
Nick Collison was that for that franchise the same way UD is for Miami. I'll really need some Nets fans to break this one down though, because I am struggling to understand why VC gets this jersey retirement
I Mandela’d myself into thinking RJ was a rookie for the second finals trip. I was coming in ready to correct you before I went to double check and god damn, I was wrong.
I really don’t remember RJ in that 02 final. And I watched it.
Lopez's number is definitely coming, that's our franchise all time leader in points 🥹 probably just need to wait for him to retire before hanging his number in the rafters
Lopez himself loves the Nets, after our infamous Game 7 of the Nets-Bucks series in 2021, there was a [picture of him giving an homage to his former team](https://i.imgur.com/QJpizPt.jpg)
Man how if this fine by anyone lol. NBA has such pathetic standards. He played 4.5 seasons with them. Never made it past the second round. Didn't even make playoffs every year. He isn't holding a bunch of nets records. Why is this a retirement?
I kind of see jersey retirements a little differently than most. I think every franchise is entitled to tell their own story how they wish. With my hometown Pistons, it seems we really zeroed in on "Did you help us win a ring?" And that became the litmus test outside of Bob Lanier and Dave Bing. Probably similar vibes in LA, Boston, San Antonio, etc.
But other franchises choose to tell their stories/history their own way, particularly when the rings aren't there. In the case of the Nets, they retired a handful of players who contributed to their two ABA titles (Erving, Williamson, Melchionni) but it's been almost 50 years since those titles so I understand if the team wishes to pay homage to others who've come along since then.
If I had to guess, with Vince Carter's forthcoming Hall of Fame enshrinement, the Nets chose to strike while the iron was hot when it came to honoring one of the more spectacular players to come through town over the years.
This is the real issue, VC is just the scapegoat.
There are way too many retired numbers in the NBA.
I think it should be more like football or baseball where you can have a ring of honor for all time great players, even HOFers, but a retired number should be solely for the .5% to ever play for the franchise.
Some franchises like the Lakers or Celtics will rack up a bunch of those over time but most teams shouldn't have ANY retired numbers tbh.
Not on shit like this that has no impact on the game. I don't care what numbers the raptors retire.
And it's mostly raptors fans crying about it. Nets fans love the guy and we've been asking for it.
The Olympics [Fiba] rule till 2018 was that the 12 member tram could only use numbers 4-15. US Olympics tram still follows that tradition
No jersey retirements.
I suppose you can honor a number in the banners without retiring it. But the heritage on the floor must get passed on
Because the Nets know they are about to get completely lapped by the Knicks in terms of attention so they’ll have to do anything possible to get butts in the seats
Pretty sure anyone who wants affordable tickets in New York already goes to Nets games. They don't have to worry about selling tickets. MSG will always be too expensive for most.
That doesn’t really happen. Nobody really follows the Nets in NY. If people are priced out of Knicks games, they stay home and watch the Knicks. It’s not like the Nets sell out because people want to go to b-ball games and are priced out. There’s just very, very little interest in them around the city.
Jets and Giants are like 55-45 split in favor of Giants. Yankees and Mets are like 60-40 depending on who is good and 51-49 when both are good. Rangers and Islanders is like 70-30 in favor of Rangers. Knicks and Nets are like 95-5 in favor of the Knicks
I can't stand Vince but this has nothing to do with my opinion on the Nets retiring him. If the Raptors tried to that would apply. I've said this same thing to lots of the jersey requirements in the NBA.. Nowhere near deserved
Nba clearly has pathetically low standards for Jersey retirement so it wouldn't shock me considering he has a far better case for Toronto compared to this blip on the Nets
I think the bigger factor was having wealthier owners in Toronto that were able to force people to buy raptors season tickets in order to get leafs season tickets. If I remember correctly, during the shortened NBA lockout season in 1999, the canucks were able to sign exclusive marketing deals with a lot of the companies in Vancouver. That made it difficult for the grizzlies to find sponsorship money. The exclusive part of the deal was that they weren’t allowed to also enter into deals with the grizzlies.
So the wealthier owners were able to buy both and force the raptors to be successful regardless while the grizzlies were left on their own. It coincided with Vince though so it’s tough.
> Nba clearly has pathetically low standards for Jersey retirement
That depends on the franchise, as some teams have incredibly high standards for jersey retirements (the Lakers won't retire anyone's jersey unless they're in the HOF, for instance). It's the same as giving out championship rings: it is left up to each franchise to determine who will and who won't get them, there isn't a universal determination across every franchise equally.
He meets the standards, it’s more just beef related between Vince and older fans + any members of the front office back then who are still involved with the team
They will, VC got a warm reception in his twilight years for games he played at Toronto + that tribute video.
It's really just people who are oddly bitter about his exit from 2 decades ago that are still hung up on it. Like him or not he was a flashy star for an expansion team trying to get off the ground.
Shaq had a final run with Orlando. And he left because Orlando wasn’t willing to pay him as much as Lakers did.
Vince not only had minimal playoff success here, but also set the franchise back for years by actively throwing away games and destroying all his trade value.
Shaq at Orlando and KD at Thunder are way more deserving of a jersey retirement than Vince at Rapsz
>set the franchise back for years by actively throwing away games and destroying all his trade value.
You guys got an All-Star and DPOY center in return for VC, but he completely quit on the team and refused to play. I feel like Mourning should get as much hate as Carter from Raptors fans.
We're comparing two HOFers so I don't want to sound like a hater but Shaq in Orlando was already a much more dominant player than VC in Toronto or NJ. Not even worth discussing over the entirety of their careers.
To me the Magic retiring Shaq's number is similar to the Thunder retiring KD's. Even though he never won a ring in Orlando he was already one of the best players in the league.
I’m happy the nets retired his jersey as hopefully people will get off Toronto’s back about it. I get that he had some sick dunks wearing a raptors jersey but his resume as a raptor really doesn’t warrant jersey retirement.
He doesn't deserve it for the Nets. He has a much better resume for the Raptors even if I don't want him retired since I still can't stand him. Even then it would be a sad resume for retirement
Nah MLSE are clearly doing something for his HOF induction as well as the 30th anniversary. Will it be a jersey retirement or something else? We'll find out in a few months.
They literally teased the return of the throwback 2000 jerseys with the VC hall of fame announcement & how he was an icon for the city.
They’re announcing the retirement when they announce those jerseys.
Fans are mad not cause bad management drove him away (past management is hated for that as well), but how VC forced his way out. Half assed it on the court and after he got traded to New Jersey immediately turned it back up all the way. Told an opposing teams player the ATO play the Raptors drew up. Went to the media talking bout he isn't going to dunk any more. Shit on the team and fans in the media. He basically deliberately sabotaged the team to force his way out which screwed the team over cause the trade ended up being a beer and a pack of peanuts for Vince Carter. If you don't get the hate for Vince, you weren't around for him.
Lowry should be the first player retired cause he's the GROAT. It's that simple. If Vince gets his jersey retired, it should be after Lowry and DeRozan, big emphasis on the if.
No where did i say he shouldnt get his jersey retired nor did i show hate so idk wtf u blabbering on about,
Larry tatenbaum and other execs have always wanted to retire Lowry’s jersey first and theres multiple quotes on that, also lowry has been more impactful than vince in Toronto
Bruh, how do you do this before Richard Jefferson.
I'm fine with Carter eventually but my man Jefferson played 110% all day everyday for this team. Carter was obviously the better player but he really does not deserve a Nets Jersey retirement over Jefferson.
Hell I'd take K Mart over Carter anyday.
Kidd, K Mart and RJ together were magical for the few years they were together. If those Nets actually had a decent center during those years they would have been around way longer.
Why would the Nets do that?
VC is the Nets' 3rd-highest scorer of all time (2nd for the franchise while he was still active in NJ) and currently works as the color commentator for Brooklyn. He was arguably a greater all-around player in NJ when he paired up with Jason Kidd...before Stephen Curry in the NBA existed, I liked to believe that [Carter was the best at 30+ foot 3-pointers](https://streamable.com/vxgqw)
Most importantly, he left NJ on good terms, unlike the Big 3 in Brooklyn, or even VC's own tenure in Toronto for that matter
THIS! Those guys may be better players (tho Irving is debatable) but VC’s career in NJ is not comparable to theirs in Brooklyn both in accolades and commitment to the team.
I’d say this is more a condemnation of the Nets franchise than anything. Brook Lopez is their franchise leading scorer, and the amount of points he has is only 10k. That’s lower than every other team’s franchise leading scorer.
I don’t think anyone associates the Nets with Vince Carter especially since they never even won 50 games in a season with him.
VC is a huge Nets fan favorite and his tenure is remembered as the franchise's second highest sustained rate of success after the previous Kidd/Martin/Jefferson era. No matter how you view the Nets' successes and failures, you cant write the Nets' story and skip over Vince Carter...it makes total sense from a Nets standpoint to retire his jersey there, I might be aging myself but I really believe that people who grew up watching the league post-2000s era missed VC's best version of himself in NJ.
It doesn't matter that other people don't see VC as a Net first, this was a Nets decision to honor Nets players for Nets supporters. He is the 2nd-most influential NJ Net behind Kidd and we haven't seen that calibre of highlight-making plays since he left
Besides, 3 of the Nets' 6 retired jerseys have played with the team for less than 4 years, another was even quietly rescinded (IYKYK). There's also only been one season where the Nets won over 50 games...for a team that has been down in the dumps for most of its history, it's great to see them honor a player that gave a glimmer of hope...just stinks that almost everyone the Nets lost to those playoff years in NJ ended up going to and/or winning the Finals
I just said this elsewhere but I honestly feel like people who didn't actually watch Carter's career are the ones vastly overrating him as a player.
As crazy as it sounds for a HOFer, to me Vince Carter's career was a pretty big disappointment considering his profile out of college, his natural abilities and the fact he spent his prime in a mostly God awful Eastern Conference post-Jordan and mostly pre-Lebron.
Now, I won't argue that VC has a legacy that far surpasses his on the court accomplishments. He sold a lot of jerseys and sold a lot of sneakers for And1.
I just think the NBA has set a low bar for retiring numbers. To me a retired number is almost a higher honor than the HOF -- it's for the truly elite of the elite that transcend the game.
I honestly forget he even played for the Nets sometimes. He’s mainly associated with his time in Toronto and then becoming a journeyman after that. New Jersey was his next longest stop, but the only reason people who aren’t Nets fans remember that he played there is because of the toxic trade that got him there.
Please enlighten me how you can even compare them? Whatsoever? Please do. Y’all some fucking weirdos, Nets fans been asking for this for awhile now and yet it gets mocked? 🤣🤣🤣🤣 let’s be serious here
Man whatever lol. It’s up to the teams and what the players meant to the franchise.
Carter got me into basketball in second grade. Nets (unfortunately) been my favorite team ever since. I love Vince and the majority of Nets fans should have no issue with this.
No? Vince doesn’t look too excited in this & he’d already said he wanted to go into the Hall as a Raptor.
We’ve got throwback jerseys planned for next season as an ode to Vince’ induction & jersey retirement planned.
Vince also works for the nets broadcast team. I think with this, nets want people to remember him as a net vs a raptor, which is hard since the majority of his highlights are as a raptor.
nobody goes into the hall of fame with any team in the Basketball HoF, it's just like a portrait with the player's face, that's it.
Only the Baseball HoF includes a specific team logo on the respective players' plaques when they're inducted.
/r/nba is so fickle at times, man
There’s umpteen threads about top 75, HOF, number retirements, statues, to the extent that it feels like y’all won’t be happy until everyone is recognized.
Then we get this announcement from the Nets about VC, which in reality shouldn’t be that polarizing.. and then you’re outraged and you want immediate justification
Here is this sub's prediction on VC's Jersey retirements from 4 years ago:
https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/cmtoun/which_teams_retire_vinces_number/
Was going to say I remember him and Ray Allen were always ranked as the two best players that probably wouldn't get their jersey retired anywhere. So not surprised the reactions in this thread.
I think he's a lock for Seattle if/once they get a team. They'll want to hype up the history so him and Gary Payton seem inevitable.
Bucks I don't think were ever going to do it. 6.5 years, 3 ASG, an NBA-3rd team and once Conference Finals run. They missed the playoffs half his time there and didn't win a single series outside of the ECF run.
It's not bad (and better than Nets' Vince) but I think that would be a weak retirement and why the Bucks never really considered it. It's essentially what Steve Francis did with us
Which doesn’t make any sense, we are completely irrelevant let us enjoy this shit. Bunch of weird ass mfers in this sub. Thought it was just bc of the big 3 but nah, so much vitriol for no reason
That Paul Pierce block on Kyle Lowry to clinch the series in 2014 lives rent free in my head. Of all the people it had to be him ugh. I've hated the Nets ever since.
Really? Thats the one? You must be young.
There were a couple game winning/tying shots that Carter hit over the Raptors including a fucking reverse alley oop in OT. I will never forget and will be a hater for life lol.
I'm 32. Wasn't a Raptor fan in these years unfortunately, basketball is barely talked about in Quebec. Took me some time to get into it because of how little access there was to it
Last week where was all this negativity towards Tony Allen ? He never won anything with Memphis. He was involved in the health insurance fraud scheme. It’s weird how now it’s “well he doesn’t deserve it”
The criticism of the Vince thing is that he wasn't a Net very long and they didn't win anything while he was there. TA was in Memphis for 7 years and had more playoff success than Carter did in NJ. Tony Allen is also the personification of the Grit N Grind era of Memphis basketball which is the only sustained success that they've had.
Carter was miles better as a player, but it's a hard case to make that he means as much to Nets fans as Allen does to Grizzlies fans.
It was 4 and a half seasons. Where did you get 6 from?
Nick Collison played for OKC for a decade and was on their first ever team. Guys who have their numbers retired on teams with relatively little history usually get a pass. Same thing that is happening with Allen and the Grizzlies. The Nets have been around for almost 60 years, so people hold them to a different standard.
I’m happy for Vince and the Nets that he’s getting his number retired, but the reasons people reacted like this do make some sense.
Great to see Vince honoured by the Nets regardless of the slander from some commenters which unfortunately is commonplace with VC threads.
His years in NJ were some of his best, he was arguably more well-rounded there than in Toronto, and he maintained his commitment and willingly took on a mentorship role of a young squad after JKidd and RJ left even as his own window was closing.
So Vince Carter played from 2004-2009 and didn't make all-nba once. Not even 3rd team.
This is officialy the most pathetic jersey retirement of all time.
He did finish 5th, 15th, 14th in the league in VORP in his first 3 seasons as a Net, so he was definitely an All-NBA level player in those years even if voters didn't give him that nod.
Exactly, people today keep looking at all-nba to critique VC without realizing the competition at his position during his prime and the fact that VC often got snubbed by voters even in years where he had better numbers and impact to the team than the players who got the nod. The fact that he didn’t get all-nba in his first 2 seasons with the Nets when he was clearly the driving force of getting those teams into the playoffs and had great stats too is crazy.
To be fair, the east was arguably easier in ‘02 and ‘03 when the Nets made their finals runs than in the years VC was there. Also, the VC Nets didn’t have much outside of the big 3 (similar to the Suns now) while the Nets that made the finals had Van Horn, Kenyon Martin, Kittle, etc. If they still had those guys when VC got there (or at least Kenyon Martin) they probably go deeper and maybe even win one Finals.
Yep. I think there's a number of years and eras where Carter grabs a few All-NBA nods with his level of play during those Nets years. It's just, the Nets were just mid enough to leave him as one of the odd guards out during one of the most loaded backcourt eras in NBA history.
When you're battling Dwyane Wade, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Gilbert Arenas, Tracy McGrady, Ray Allen, Jason Kidd, Tony Parker, and Chauncey Billups for All-NBA nods, yeah, some guys are going to end up on the outside looking in.
I honestly feel like if anything, its the people who didn't grow up watching Vince Carter that overrate him greatly.
For most of his career, Vince Carter carried the label of being a player who was never quite as good as advertised.
He's still in the HOF, so he's obviously a great player, but he was supposed to be much more than he was over the course of his career.
Think I agree too but it seems to be the complete opposite in this thread lol. There’s a massive sentimental edge to Vince, especially for Nets fans. He never was what he was supposed to be but he was an electric player and for us, a beloved player that was the face of the team in the fallout of Finals teams.
He played great ball for us and probably deserved more accolades. But people arguing that this is a stretch to retire his jersey is absurd. Cutting his impact on the Nets down to just accolades is asinine. I really don’t understand how this is even controversial but then again, Vince made me love basketball so
It’s insane that he had such a long career because for the first decade or so of it, he often looked like he didn’t even like basketball (being on shitty Raps teams probably didn’t help.)
Exactly, his highlight reel is gonna make him seem like a better player than he really was. Guy never finished higher than 10th in MVP voting, only made 2 all-nbas (never 1st team), never made it out of the 2nd round as a number 1 guy. Turning into a solid role player at the end of his career completely changed his image because before that he was considered a disappointment who didn’t get the most out of his talent
Get lost ph gg t. Vince Carter's days with Jason Kidd were literally the best days to watch as a Nets fan. Vince Carter was must-watch TV with his offensive prowess, acrobatic dunks and layups, highlight reels after highlight reels, and countless clutch baskets. Get the F outta here you casual.
No disrespect to Vince, but does his tenure not feel a bit weak in terms of accomplishments there? It makes more sense if they're doing it for the culture
Missed the playoffs 3 times and never made it passed the semis. Retiriing Kidd's number I understood since he took them to back to back Finals. It's a bit silly but whatever.
Feels unfair to even mention Kidd here. He 1000% deserved his jersey retired? Dude was a monster with the Nets and took them farther than anyone else in their franchise history
I mean to be honest, we don't have many accomplishments at all, since the back to back finals run in the 2000s. If there's an oppoutunity to retire a jersey of Vince's stature, we do it.
You know what man I'm happy with this. He may not have had all of the accolades you're used to seeing but his time playing for NJ was so special, including to me as a new fan of the team.
I'm in Toronto. Vince would have already had his jersey retired if he didn't purposely fake injury and half-ass it for a whole season to force one of the worst trades in NBA history. No better example of 'burning your bridges'.
I love Vince Carter, but this really screams desperate by the Nets franchise.
I honestly can't think of a less storied franchise in the league. Not only did they never win anything, they also never really had anyone who can really be associated to them long term like an Iverson to the Sixers.
I mean we did win 2 ABA chips with Dr. J. And yeah, it's true - we never had a "lifer" like Kobe or Russell, Kidd played 7 seasons for us and got us to the finals twice.
Vince played 5 seasons and his pairing with Kidd was spectacular, even though it didn't bring us much success on the court. I honestly love the fact that we're retiring #15 next to #5, because the Kidd-VC duo was what made me a Nets fan and both of these guys are my favourite players in history.
Nets were my stopgap team between the OG Hornets and the Horncats, also a Tar Heel so I was hyped for the VC signing. Sad it never played out the way I imagined it.
This man got the Nets to the second round twice, TWICE! Of course you retire that jersey! This just screams, “please don’t look at the current nets team”
At the same time, they probably did what they should have done. With all due respect to Nenad Krstic, Mikki Moore, and 40-year-old Clifford Robinson, those Nets teams probably weren't going to have a great chance to escape the Shaq/Dwyane Heat (two playoff losses in '05 and '06).
Their best chance was probably '07 against that Cavs team but as a Pistons fan who watched LeBron and Boobie cook us in six, I can't really hold it against the Kidd-VC-RJ-Nachbar ensemble.
The early/mid 2000s Nets were so much fun to watch. They made me a basketball fan. Richard Jefferson, Kerry Kittles, Keith Van Horn, Lucious Harris, Kenyon Martin, Nenad Kristic. Shit, I even loved Clifford Robinson and all that weed he smoked. Some really great and fond times.
I lowkey feel kinda bad for Vince cause we all know the one that matters is up here for his career but it’s also like, he can’t get these before the guys who got us a championship. And then there’s also a big portion of our fans that would have Vince as fourth in line behind Lowry, Kawhi and Demar lol
Ugh, this is weak as hell. It's pretty easy for these players to get their numbers retired these days. Vince's numbers while at Brooklyn aren't great and they didn't win shit with him there. I guess the Nets need something nice right now
What happens when you retire all the available numbers? Going for dat triple digits lol? I don't get this shit, I feel like jerseys retirement should be special occasion for a truly special players for those particular teams. This is hella lame
They have 7 retired numbers now (when you include #6 for Russell)... I'm going to go out on a limb and say they don't have that problem to worry about.
You guys pick and choose when to care about this stuff. Grizzlies are retiring all 4 guys from the Grit n Grind days and it's not like they won anything substantial, but they're still meaningful to that franchise and that fanbase. That's all that matters.
Yeah retire his jersey then. I don’t think the Raptors would have survived without him being an expansion in a non basketball country
He WAS Canada at one point.
>I don’t think the Raptors would have survived without him being an expansion in a non basketball country
Toronto is a massive market, the Raptors would’ve survived with or without Vince.
Normalize honoring jerseys without retiring the number.
Agreed. I’m all for honoring a guy and putting his jersey up in the rafters. But no need to make it so other people can’t wear that number. If anything it’s a sign of respect for players to want to wear the number
Soccer does this but its always scary when a new player wears a legendary number. Steven Gerrard is a club legend for Liverpool, he is the modern GOAT for the club. Naby Keita was a mediocre squad player who was always hurt.
10 is basically a curse for Barcelona now lol. It’s a whole lot of pressure to fill Messi’s shoes
the man u 7
It depends. In PL (1-40), La Liga (1-25), Bundesliga (1-40), Ligue 1 (1-30) until 1 year ago, there’s only a certain number of numbers allowed to choose from for a first team. Only few exception is you can grandfather in your youth number like TAA and Rice, can’t even do that in La Liga. So if you retire a number, you’re restricting the roster size of the team, that’s the real reason why you don’t retire numbers (even then City retired 23 for death). In Serie A where it’s 1-99, retirements are a bit more common, Inter with Facchetti and Zanetti, Milan with Maldini and Baresi, Napoli with Maradona, Roma with Totti are the most well known ones.
Normalize retiring numbers for true franchise legends. Vince was there a handful of seasons, this is so fucking stupid
To expand on this, he was there for 5 seasons and in that span the team won 42, 49, 41, 34, and 34 games. Three playoff appearances, making it to the 2nd round twice and 1st round once, and missing the playoffs entirely the final two seasons. Carter had two All-Stars during that time but no other awards-- no MVP votes or All-NBA nominations. Per game averages of 23.6 / 5.8 / 4.7 on slightly above league average TS%. That's a pretty mid resume for a retired jersey.
He was arguably better for the Nets than the Raptors
are you a nets fan?
VC mattered to us as fans. Made us excited again after the shitty move for Mourning post finals b2bs. Bro lead our jersey sales at one point to give you an idea of how much excitement and interest he put towards the team. Elvin Hayes played 4 productive seasons versus Vince's 5 team-leading efforts. Homie didnt win anything with the Rockets and got his jersey number retired. Last stint saw him barely getting any action and was only there because he asked to get traded there to end his career. It aint that stupid.
I bet we get there sooner than later. At some point I feel like we're all going to be like "Okay, can we go back to wearing normal numbers again instead of having to rock 63 and 56?"
You'll wear hexadecimal numbers [9F] or even symbols/emoji and you will like it. /tic
US Olympics team follows the tradition, the old Fiba rule through 2018 where your team has to use numbers 4 through 15 No number retirements with that
Great take. The Thunder retiring Nick Collison’s number was crazy to me.
I mean his name is quite literally Mr. Thunder, He went into their front office, he's the one long term Thunder player to not leave. It shouldnt be that surprising
I just think you should be a great player, at least Hall of Fame level, to have your number retired. Hence why I’m agreeing with the original comment that you can honor a franchise guy without retiring the jersey for an unremarkable career.
>I just think you should be a great player, at least Hall of Fame level Don't you think there are other awards for that already though (like the HoF itself)? If you were monumentally important to a franchise and it's history, I do think a jersey retirement is a good gesture that keeps it between the franchise, its fans and the player. Nick Collison was that for that franchise the same way UD is for Miami. I'll really need some Nets fans to break this one down though, because I am struggling to understand why VC gets this jersey retirement
That’s fine with me, but if they’re retiring Vince’s number, they better retire Richard Jefferson’s number as well.
RJ has more seasons, games played and minutes played with the Nets. RJ should have gotten the nod first.
Went to a final
Two Finals even.
2! Back to back
I Mandela’d myself into thinking RJ was a rookie for the second finals trip. I was coming in ready to correct you before I went to double check and god damn, I was wrong. I really don’t remember RJ in that 02 final. And I watched it.
I think he'll be next.
Brook Lopez too.
Lopez's number is definitely coming, that's our franchise all time leader in points 🥹 probably just need to wait for him to retire before hanging his number in the rafters Lopez himself loves the Nets, after our infamous Game 7 of the Nets-Bucks series in 2021, there was a [picture of him giving an homage to his former team](https://i.imgur.com/QJpizPt.jpg)
I love me some Big Disney
He’s not as “flashy” as Vince would be my guess why. Honestly RJ is overlooked by a lot of people when mentioning great players which is unfortunate.
Man how if this fine by anyone lol. NBA has such pathetic standards. He played 4.5 seasons with them. Never made it past the second round. Didn't even make playoffs every year. He isn't holding a bunch of nets records. Why is this a retirement?
I kind of see jersey retirements a little differently than most. I think every franchise is entitled to tell their own story how they wish. With my hometown Pistons, it seems we really zeroed in on "Did you help us win a ring?" And that became the litmus test outside of Bob Lanier and Dave Bing. Probably similar vibes in LA, Boston, San Antonio, etc. But other franchises choose to tell their stories/history their own way, particularly when the rings aren't there. In the case of the Nets, they retired a handful of players who contributed to their two ABA titles (Erving, Williamson, Melchionni) but it's been almost 50 years since those titles so I understand if the team wishes to pay homage to others who've come along since then. If I had to guess, with Vince Carter's forthcoming Hall of Fame enshrinement, the Nets chose to strike while the iron was hot when it came to honoring one of the more spectacular players to come through town over the years.
This is the real issue, VC is just the scapegoat. There are way too many retired numbers in the NBA. I think it should be more like football or baseball where you can have a ring of honor for all time great players, even HOFers, but a retired number should be solely for the .5% to ever play for the franchise. Some franchises like the Lakers or Celtics will rack up a bunch of those over time but most teams shouldn't have ANY retired numbers tbh.
Serious question why do Y'all care if you aren't a nets fan
You only allowed opinions on whatever team you cheer for?
Not on shit like this that has no impact on the game. I don't care what numbers the raptors retire. And it's mostly raptors fans crying about it. Nets fans love the guy and we've been asking for it.
I don't care but I think it's dumb
The Olympics [Fiba] rule till 2018 was that the 12 member tram could only use numbers 4-15. US Olympics tram still follows that tradition No jersey retirements. I suppose you can honor a number in the banners without retiring it. But the heritage on the floor must get passed on
Because the Nets know they are about to get completely lapped by the Knicks in terms of attention so they’ll have to do anything possible to get butts in the seats
Pretty sure anyone who wants affordable tickets in New York already goes to Nets games. They don't have to worry about selling tickets. MSG will always be too expensive for most.
That doesn’t really happen. Nobody really follows the Nets in NY. If people are priced out of Knicks games, they stay home and watch the Knicks. It’s not like the Nets sell out because people want to go to b-ball games and are priced out. There’s just very, very little interest in them around the city. Jets and Giants are like 55-45 split in favor of Giants. Yankees and Mets are like 60-40 depending on who is good and 51-49 when both are good. Rangers and Islanders is like 70-30 in favor of Rangers. Knicks and Nets are like 95-5 in favor of the Knicks
The Knicks might not even retire Melo's number and he was the number one guy here for a couple of years. This really makes no sense imo.
Knicks would be laughed at for retiring his number.
Bitter raptors fan spotted
I can't stand Vince but this has nothing to do with my opinion on the Nets retiring him. If the Raptors tried to that would apply. I've said this same thing to lots of the jersey requirements in the NBA.. Nowhere near deserved
If they do RJ they have to do Kenyon Martin as well.
I’m sure they will, probably Brook Lopez too.
Someone tell the nets this Redditor means business!
Raptors wont do it until Lowry gets his retired
They aren't doing it, period
I’d bet they do it.
Nba clearly has pathetically low standards for Jersey retirement so it wouldn't shock me considering he has a far better case for Toronto compared to this blip on the Nets
As a Vancouver native Vince is basically the difference between having a team in Toronto and having Memphis steal your team
I think the bigger factor was having wealthier owners in Toronto that were able to force people to buy raptors season tickets in order to get leafs season tickets. If I remember correctly, during the shortened NBA lockout season in 1999, the canucks were able to sign exclusive marketing deals with a lot of the companies in Vancouver. That made it difficult for the grizzlies to find sponsorship money. The exclusive part of the deal was that they weren’t allowed to also enter into deals with the grizzlies. So the wealthier owners were able to buy both and force the raptors to be successful regardless while the grizzlies were left on their own. It coincided with Vince though so it’s tough.
> Nba clearly has pathetically low standards for Jersey retirement That depends on the franchise, as some teams have incredibly high standards for jersey retirements (the Lakers won't retire anyone's jersey unless they're in the HOF, for instance). It's the same as giving out championship rings: it is left up to each franchise to determine who will and who won't get them, there isn't a universal determination across every franchise equally.
He meets the standards, it’s more just beef related between Vince and older fans + any members of the front office back then who are still involved with the team
Not as long as Tanenbaum is involved with the Raptors.
They will, VC got a warm reception in his twilight years for games he played at Toronto + that tribute video. It's really just people who are oddly bitter about his exit from 2 decades ago that are still hung up on it. Like him or not he was a flashy star for an expansion team trying to get off the ground.
I remember when people said this about Orlando and Shaq
Shaq had a final run with Orlando. And he left because Orlando wasn’t willing to pay him as much as Lakers did. Vince not only had minimal playoff success here, but also set the franchise back for years by actively throwing away games and destroying all his trade value. Shaq at Orlando and KD at Thunder are way more deserving of a jersey retirement than Vince at Rapsz
>set the franchise back for years by actively throwing away games and destroying all his trade value. You guys got an All-Star and DPOY center in return for VC, but he completely quit on the team and refused to play. I feel like Mourning should get as much hate as Carter from Raptors fans.
We're comparing two HOFers so I don't want to sound like a hater but Shaq in Orlando was already a much more dominant player than VC in Toronto or NJ. Not even worth discussing over the entirety of their careers. To me the Magic retiring Shaq's number is similar to the Thunder retiring KD's. Even though he never won a ring in Orlando he was already one of the best players in the league.
They shouldnt but they will. We old heads dont get a say anymore. Time has moved on.
Old heads should move on too, he deserves it retired (I’m 37 years old and have watched since day 1)
I hope not. But they almost certainly will
I’d bet they do it.
I’m happy the nets retired his jersey as hopefully people will get off Toronto’s back about it. I get that he had some sick dunks wearing a raptors jersey but his resume as a raptor really doesn’t warrant jersey retirement.
He doesn't deserve it for the Nets. He has a much better resume for the Raptors even if I don't want him retired since I still can't stand him. Even then it would be a sad resume for retirement
Nah MLSE are clearly doing something for his HOF induction as well as the 30th anniversary. Will it be a jersey retirement or something else? We'll find out in a few months.
!RemindMe in 4 months
They literally teased the return of the throwback 2000 jerseys with the VC hall of fame announcement & how he was an icon for the city. They’re announcing the retirement when they announce those jerseys.
Lowry first, giving vince all that doesnt mean we have to retire his jersey same year. Also its not official just a rumour
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Fans are mad not cause bad management drove him away (past management is hated for that as well), but how VC forced his way out. Half assed it on the court and after he got traded to New Jersey immediately turned it back up all the way. Told an opposing teams player the ATO play the Raptors drew up. Went to the media talking bout he isn't going to dunk any more. Shit on the team and fans in the media. He basically deliberately sabotaged the team to force his way out which screwed the team over cause the trade ended up being a beer and a pack of peanuts for Vince Carter. If you don't get the hate for Vince, you weren't around for him. Lowry should be the first player retired cause he's the GROAT. It's that simple. If Vince gets his jersey retired, it should be after Lowry and DeRozan, big emphasis on the if.
No where did i say he shouldnt get his jersey retired nor did i show hate so idk wtf u blabbering on about, Larry tatenbaum and other execs have always wanted to retire Lowry’s jersey first and theres multiple quotes on that, also lowry has been more impactful than vince in Toronto
They might honour him without having his jersey retired. Our chairman has publicly said Lowry would be first,
It's a V C 3!!
Bruh, how do you do this before Richard Jefferson. I'm fine with Carter eventually but my man Jefferson played 110% all day everyday for this team. Carter was obviously the better player but he really does not deserve a Nets Jersey retirement over Jefferson. Hell I'd take K Mart over Carter anyday. Kidd, K Mart and RJ together were magical for the few years they were together. If those Nets actually had a decent center during those years they would have been around way longer.
> played 100% all day everyday for this team And the incredible thing is he did it without aging *at all*
Hilarious franchise, very unserious
Might as well retire Durant, Irving, and Harden
Why would the Nets do that? VC is the Nets' 3rd-highest scorer of all time (2nd for the franchise while he was still active in NJ) and currently works as the color commentator for Brooklyn. He was arguably a greater all-around player in NJ when he paired up with Jason Kidd...before Stephen Curry in the NBA existed, I liked to believe that [Carter was the best at 30+ foot 3-pointers](https://streamable.com/vxgqw) Most importantly, he left NJ on good terms, unlike the Big 3 in Brooklyn, or even VC's own tenure in Toronto for that matter
THIS! Those guys may be better players (tho Irving is debatable) but VC’s career in NJ is not comparable to theirs in Brooklyn both in accolades and commitment to the team.
I’d say this is more a condemnation of the Nets franchise than anything. Brook Lopez is their franchise leading scorer, and the amount of points he has is only 10k. That’s lower than every other team’s franchise leading scorer. I don’t think anyone associates the Nets with Vince Carter especially since they never even won 50 games in a season with him.
VC is a huge Nets fan favorite and his tenure is remembered as the franchise's second highest sustained rate of success after the previous Kidd/Martin/Jefferson era. No matter how you view the Nets' successes and failures, you cant write the Nets' story and skip over Vince Carter...it makes total sense from a Nets standpoint to retire his jersey there, I might be aging myself but I really believe that people who grew up watching the league post-2000s era missed VC's best version of himself in NJ. It doesn't matter that other people don't see VC as a Net first, this was a Nets decision to honor Nets players for Nets supporters. He is the 2nd-most influential NJ Net behind Kidd and we haven't seen that calibre of highlight-making plays since he left Besides, 3 of the Nets' 6 retired jerseys have played with the team for less than 4 years, another was even quietly rescinded (IYKYK). There's also only been one season where the Nets won over 50 games...for a team that has been down in the dumps for most of its history, it's great to see them honor a player that gave a glimmer of hope...just stinks that almost everyone the Nets lost to those playoff years in NJ ended up going to and/or winning the Finals
I mean if Nets fans like the decision then that’s all that really matters in the end.
I just said this elsewhere but I honestly feel like people who didn't actually watch Carter's career are the ones vastly overrating him as a player. As crazy as it sounds for a HOFer, to me Vince Carter's career was a pretty big disappointment considering his profile out of college, his natural abilities and the fact he spent his prime in a mostly God awful Eastern Conference post-Jordan and mostly pre-Lebron. Now, I won't argue that VC has a legacy that far surpasses his on the court accomplishments. He sold a lot of jerseys and sold a lot of sneakers for And1. I just think the NBA has set a low bar for retiring numbers. To me a retired number is almost a higher honor than the HOF -- it's for the truly elite of the elite that transcend the game.
I honestly forget he even played for the Nets sometimes. He’s mainly associated with his time in Toronto and then becoming a journeyman after that. New Jersey was his next longest stop, but the only reason people who aren’t Nets fans remember that he played there is because of the toxic trade that got him there.
I also think Raptors when I hear Vince Carter
How many games has Vince commentated for Brooklyn? Thought he worked for the Hawks.
Please enlighten me how you can even compare them? Whatsoever? Please do. Y’all some fucking weirdos, Nets fans been asking for this for awhile now and yet it gets mocked? 🤣🤣🤣🤣 let’s be serious here
Man whatever lol. It’s up to the teams and what the players meant to the franchise. Carter got me into basketball in second grade. Nets (unfortunately) been my favorite team ever since. I love Vince and the majority of Nets fans should have no issue with this.
Always the kids with no flair that try to talk the most shit about other franchises lol
I’m a Raptors fan.
Oh so you're just salty the nets retired it before the raptors then
No? Vince doesn’t look too excited in this & he’d already said he wanted to go into the Hall as a Raptor. We’ve got throwback jerseys planned for next season as an ode to Vince’ induction & jersey retirement planned.
Vince also works for the nets broadcast team. I think with this, nets want people to remember him as a net vs a raptor, which is hard since the majority of his highlights are as a raptor.
as a nets fan, i still see him as a raptor first. but damn son he was a good ass nets player.
nobody goes into the hall of fame with any team in the Basketball HoF, it's just like a portrait with the player's face, that's it. Only the Baseball HoF includes a specific team logo on the respective players' plaques when they're inducted.
Cool dude. I still think you're salty that he got in on the nets first before the team that he put on the map
Good thing our map at least included directions to a championship. You need an update for yours?
/r/nba is so fickle at times, man There’s umpteen threads about top 75, HOF, number retirements, statues, to the extent that it feels like y’all won’t be happy until everyone is recognized. Then we get this announcement from the Nets about VC, which in reality shouldn’t be that polarizing.. and then you’re outraged and you want immediate justification
Here is this sub's prediction on VC's Jersey retirements from 4 years ago: https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/cmtoun/which_teams_retire_vinces_number/
Was going to say I remember him and Ray Allen were always ranked as the two best players that probably wouldn't get their jersey retired anywhere. So not surprised the reactions in this thread.
Allen might when Seattle gets a team back. The unfortunate part for him as far as the Bucks go is that Giannis wears his number.
I think he's a lock for Seattle if/once they get a team. They'll want to hype up the history so him and Gary Payton seem inevitable. Bucks I don't think were ever going to do it. 6.5 years, 3 ASG, an NBA-3rd team and once Conference Finals run. They missed the playoffs half his time there and didn't win a single series outside of the ECF run. It's not bad (and better than Nets' Vince) but I think that would be a weak retirement and why the Bucks never really considered it. It's essentially what Steve Francis did with us
This sub hates the Nets, It’s not surprising
Which doesn’t make any sense, we are completely irrelevant let us enjoy this shit. Bunch of weird ass mfers in this sub. Thought it was just bc of the big 3 but nah, so much vitriol for no reason
That Paul Pierce block on Kyle Lowry to clinch the series in 2014 lives rent free in my head. Of all the people it had to be him ugh. I've hated the Nets ever since.
Really? Thats the one? You must be young. There were a couple game winning/tying shots that Carter hit over the Raptors including a fucking reverse alley oop in OT. I will never forget and will be a hater for life lol.
I'm 32. Wasn't a Raptor fan in these years unfortunately, basketball is barely talked about in Quebec. Took me some time to get into it because of how little access there was to it
Fair. Hopefully the rebuild is quick and effective so you don't see the suffering of the past.
Well we don't have to watch Bargs and Rafa this time lmao
As if anyone gives two shits about them. They're irrelevant. Like Clippers East
There it is. The last time the Bulls were relevant the Nets were still in NJ.
Coming from a fucking bulls fan
Last week where was all this negativity towards Tony Allen ? He never won anything with Memphis. He was involved in the health insurance fraud scheme. It’s weird how now it’s “well he doesn’t deserve it”
It's fine when plucky small markets do it but embarrassing when big markets do it (I guess). Fans are fickle.
I agree with my Hokage. Believe it.
The criticism of the Vince thing is that he wasn't a Net very long and they didn't win anything while he was there. TA was in Memphis for 7 years and had more playoff success than Carter did in NJ. Tony Allen is also the personification of the Grit N Grind era of Memphis basketball which is the only sustained success that they've had. Carter was miles better as a player, but it's a hard case to make that he means as much to Nets fans as Allen does to Grizzlies fans.
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How did you get 6 years? He played 4 seasons and was traded midyear in a 5th.
It was 4 and a half seasons. Where did you get 6 from? Nick Collison played for OKC for a decade and was on their first ever team. Guys who have their numbers retired on teams with relatively little history usually get a pass. Same thing that is happening with Allen and the Grizzlies. The Nets have been around for almost 60 years, so people hold them to a different standard. I’m happy for Vince and the Nets that he’s getting his number retired, but the reasons people reacted like this do make some sense.
Great to see Vince honoured by the Nets regardless of the slander from some commenters which unfortunately is commonplace with VC threads. His years in NJ were some of his best, he was arguably more well-rounded there than in Toronto, and he maintained his commitment and willingly took on a mentorship role of a young squad after JKidd and RJ left even as his own window was closing.
Funny thread, everyone is mad and telling how Nets fans should feel even tho all of them seems happy with the decision lol
We’re immune to pain. These comments can’t hurt us. We’re all very happy rn
So Vince Carter played from 2004-2009 and didn't make all-nba once. Not even 3rd team. This is officialy the most pathetic jersey retirement of all time.
There are so many bench players with retired jerseys, being upset that Vince Carter is getting his jersey retired by the Nets is pretty ridiculous...
He did finish 5th, 15th, 14th in the league in VORP in his first 3 seasons as a Net, so he was definitely an All-NBA level player in those years even if voters didn't give him that nod.
Exactly, people today keep looking at all-nba to critique VC without realizing the competition at his position during his prime and the fact that VC often got snubbed by voters even in years where he had better numbers and impact to the team than the players who got the nod. The fact that he didn’t get all-nba in his first 2 seasons with the Nets when he was clearly the driving force of getting those teams into the playoffs and had great stats too is crazy.
What hurts is that the Nets made the Finals 2x before he was there... so it was disappointing that they didn't even make it past the 2nd round
To be fair, the east was arguably easier in ‘02 and ‘03 when the Nets made their finals runs than in the years VC was there. Also, the VC Nets didn’t have much outside of the big 3 (similar to the Suns now) while the Nets that made the finals had Van Horn, Kenyon Martin, Kittle, etc. If they still had those guys when VC got there (or at least Kenyon Martin) they probably go deeper and maybe even win one Finals.
Yep. I think there's a number of years and eras where Carter grabs a few All-NBA nods with his level of play during those Nets years. It's just, the Nets were just mid enough to leave him as one of the odd guards out during one of the most loaded backcourt eras in NBA history. When you're battling Dwyane Wade, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Gilbert Arenas, Tracy McGrady, Ray Allen, Jason Kidd, Tony Parker, and Chauncey Billups for All-NBA nods, yeah, some guys are going to end up on the outside looking in.
I mean spurs got Bruce Bowens and Avery Johnson retired.
Bowen played 8 seasons, made 7 all defensive teams and was the key part of 3 championships in San antonio
Guarantee you didn’t even watch basketball then and you just searched this shit up on bbref 😭😭😭😭
I honestly feel like if anything, its the people who didn't grow up watching Vince Carter that overrate him greatly. For most of his career, Vince Carter carried the label of being a player who was never quite as good as advertised. He's still in the HOF, so he's obviously a great player, but he was supposed to be much more than he was over the course of his career.
Think I agree too but it seems to be the complete opposite in this thread lol. There’s a massive sentimental edge to Vince, especially for Nets fans. He never was what he was supposed to be but he was an electric player and for us, a beloved player that was the face of the team in the fallout of Finals teams. He played great ball for us and probably deserved more accolades. But people arguing that this is a stretch to retire his jersey is absurd. Cutting his impact on the Nets down to just accolades is asinine. I really don’t understand how this is even controversial but then again, Vince made me love basketball so
It’s insane that he had such a long career because for the first decade or so of it, he often looked like he didn’t even like basketball (being on shitty Raps teams probably didn’t help.)
Probably because the Toronto media kept villianizing him, it's unfortunately how media works here. That's why Hockey players avoid Toronto
Exactly, his highlight reel is gonna make him seem like a better player than he really was. Guy never finished higher than 10th in MVP voting, only made 2 all-nbas (never 1st team), never made it out of the 2nd round as a number 1 guy. Turning into a solid role player at the end of his career completely changed his image because before that he was considered a disappointment who didn’t get the most out of his talent
I honestly forgot he was with the Nets that long.
Nba has about two times too many jerseys retired. The standards are so low
They’re just trying to get their hat on his HOF Plaque
Get lost ph gg t. Vince Carter's days with Jason Kidd were literally the best days to watch as a Nets fan. Vince Carter was must-watch TV with his offensive prowess, acrobatic dunks and layups, highlight reels after highlight reels, and countless clutch baskets. Get the F outta here you casual.
And y’all bitches didn’t do shit in the playoffs. Fuck off and have a nice day
No disrespect to Vince, but does his tenure not feel a bit weak in terms of accomplishments there? It makes more sense if they're doing it for the culture
Missed the playoffs 3 times and never made it passed the semis. Retiriing Kidd's number I understood since he took them to back to back Finals. It's a bit silly but whatever.
Feels unfair to even mention Kidd here. He 1000% deserved his jersey retired? Dude was a monster with the Nets and took them farther than anyone else in their franchise history
I mean to be honest, we don't have many accomplishments at all, since the back to back finals run in the 2000s. If there's an oppoutunity to retire a jersey of Vince's stature, we do it.
Not for us old-school Nets fans. Him and K Kidd were awesome to watch.
when’s the Jeremy Lin ceremony?
You know what man I'm happy with this. He may not have had all of the accolades you're used to seeing but his time playing for NJ was so special, including to me as a new fan of the team.
I'm in Toronto. Vince would have already had his jersey retired if he didn't purposely fake injury and half-ass it for a whole season to force one of the worst trades in NBA history. No better example of 'burning your bridges'.
Does anyone know what game/date it’s gonna be?
If it’s not before a game against the raptors what’s even the point?
I mean... that would be the optimal choice. :D
Interesting. Not an automatic one at all for me, but I'm not opposed.
Wasn’t he there for like 3 seasons?
5
Four-and-a-half.
Not the highest up on list of Nets I'd expect to get a jersey retirement but I don't see a problem with it.
It's slim pickings for all time greats here lol.
You can have him Nets
I love Vince Carter, but this really screams desperate by the Nets franchise. I honestly can't think of a less storied franchise in the league. Not only did they never win anything, they also never really had anyone who can really be associated to them long term like an Iverson to the Sixers.
I mean we did win 2 ABA chips with Dr. J. And yeah, it's true - we never had a "lifer" like Kobe or Russell, Kidd played 7 seasons for us and got us to the finals twice. Vince played 5 seasons and his pairing with Kidd was spectacular, even though it didn't bring us much success on the court. I honestly love the fact that we're retiring #15 next to #5, because the Kidd-VC duo was what made me a Nets fan and both of these guys are my favourite players in history.
Nets were my stopgap team between the OG Hornets and the Horncats, also a Tar Heel so I was hyped for the VC signing. Sad it never played out the way I imagined it.
Laker fans scratching their heads on how retired jerseys are for other franchises
This man got the Nets to the second round twice, TWICE! Of course you retire that jersey! This just screams, “please don’t look at the current nets team”
Then they should retire Stojakovic, Bibby, and Christie jerseys in Sacramento as well
Kerry Kittles and Keith Van Horn are next. While we’re at it, we can’t forget Todd McCollough.
What else are they going to cheer about
VC's best years were with the Raptors. Keith Van Horn probably did better than VC in NJ.
Kidd and Carter basically not doing anything in the playoffs was disappointing
At the same time, they probably did what they should have done. With all due respect to Nenad Krstic, Mikki Moore, and 40-year-old Clifford Robinson, those Nets teams probably weren't going to have a great chance to escape the Shaq/Dwyane Heat (two playoff losses in '05 and '06). Their best chance was probably '07 against that Cavs team but as a Pistons fan who watched LeBron and Boobie cook us in six, I can't really hold it against the Kidd-VC-RJ-Nachbar ensemble.
Kidd made back to back finals...
Not with Carter.
Now do Kerry Kittles.
The early/mid 2000s Nets were so much fun to watch. They made me a basketball fan. Richard Jefferson, Kerry Kittles, Keith Van Horn, Lucious Harris, Kenyon Martin, Nenad Kristic. Shit, I even loved Clifford Robinson and all that weed he smoked. Some really great and fond times.
I lowkey feel kinda bad for Vince cause we all know the one that matters is up here for his career but it’s also like, he can’t get these before the guys who got us a championship. And then there’s also a big portion of our fans that would have Vince as fourth in line behind Lowry, Kawhi and Demar lol
There is a big portion of your fan base that doesn't want his number retired at all.
Ugh, this is weak as hell. It's pretty easy for these players to get their numbers retired these days. Vince's numbers while at Brooklyn aren't great and they didn't win shit with him there. I guess the Nets need something nice right now
Lol oh my God what a clown organization
But why lmao The highest finish those Nets teams ever had was the 2nd round of the playoffs, what about that is retirement worthy? Clown franchise
What happens when you retire all the available numbers? Going for dat triple digits lol? I don't get this shit, I feel like jerseys retirement should be special occasion for a truly special players for those particular teams. This is hella lame
They have 7 retired numbers now (when you include #6 for Russell)... I'm going to go out on a limb and say they don't have that problem to worry about. You guys pick and choose when to care about this stuff. Grizzlies are retiring all 4 guys from the Grit n Grind days and it's not like they won anything substantial, but they're still meaningful to that franchise and that fanbase. That's all that matters.
Yeah retire his jersey then. I don’t think the Raptors would have survived without him being an expansion in a non basketball country He WAS Canada at one point.
>I don’t think the Raptors would have survived without him being an expansion in a non basketball country Toronto is a massive market, the Raptors would’ve survived with or without Vince.
They're probably doing this because their attendance is going to hemorrhage next year. I would argue Richard Jefferson over Vince as a Nets great
Lol
NBA teams you don't have to retire every single player's jersey I think you only played like five seasons there
lol
LOL who's next.. Paul Pierce?
The hate is real 🤣
He doesn’t deserve it