The early to mid-1990’s was a great time to be a sports fan in Toronto. The Blue Jays had won back-to-back World Series titles, the Leafs made back-to-back appearances in the Western Conference Finals and the Argos had won a Grey Cup. When the NBA expanded into Canada in 1993, Toronto got a team, the Raptors. Like many expansion teams, the Raptors struggled early but things seemed to change in the 1998 NBA draft. Shortly after drafting Antawn Jameson 4th overall, he was traded for the person who was selected right after him, Vince Carter. This trade signaled a sign of things to come.
With Carter’s presence, he basically helped put basketball on the map in Toronto. This was in large part to his great play and winning the 2000 slam dunk contest. However, things slowly started to turn sour. After helping the team win its first and only playoff series in 2001, they took the Philadelphia 76ers to a seventh game. They lost after his shot just rolled off the rim, but he was best remembered for attending his graduation ceremony at North Carolina on that morning.
Injuries also played a factor but the main thing that made the people in Toronto turn on him was during the 2004-2005 season. The Raptors were struggling and the GM at the time Rob Babcock had made poor decisions like drafting Rafael Arujo over Andre Iguodala and signing Rafer Alston. Since management was not doing the job, he simply asked to be traded. His wish came true as he was shipped to the Nets for Alonso Mourning, Eric Williams and Aaron Williams. Ever since he was traded, he has been booed every time he plays in Toronto.
This happened ten years ago but Torontonians should stop holding a grudge on him and welcome him back. It was not his fault that management did not try to build a contending team around him. He simply wanted to win during his prime years. On top of all this, if he was not their to impressive everyone with his amazing slam dunk abilities and playing at top form, would the Toronto Raptors still exist today? If people like Patrick Roy or Joe Nieuwendyk who had disputes with their old teams and were forgiven, Vince Carter should be forgiven by the people of Toronto.
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