Vince Carter gets emotional about mentor Julius Erving ahead of Nets jersey retirement
Yesterday at 09:30 PM
Hall of Famer Vince Carter had a brilliant 22-year career in the NBA and has his rightful place in the Basketball Hall of Fame. However, the honors have not stopped for the brilliant 6-6 forward from North Carolina. While he was with the Nets organization for just 5 seasons, he had his number 15 jersey retired as the Nets hosted the Miami Heat.
What does it mean to @mrvincecarter15 to have his jersey going up next to his idol @JuliusErving?—Everything. pic.twitter.com/eqbzMC12FD
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) January 25, 2025
Carter played with the Nets when they were located in New Jersey, and his tenure started with that team started in 2004-05 and it concluded in 2008-09. He was an All-Star in two of his seasons with the Nets, and he was clearly both grateful and emotional about getting his number retired.
Carter was especially thrilled that his retired number would be hanging next to Julius Erving’s because the brilliant and legendary forward was Carter’s idol as a young basketball player.
Carter explained that he had placed a call to Erving asking him if he could come to the ceremony. It took Erving several weeks to get back to Carter, but Dr. J gave the answer that the honoree wanted to hear.
“It means everything to me,” explained Carter. “I left a message for him. ‘Hey, Doc, I want to run some things by you.’ I received that phone call from him, and he was like, ‘Oh, man, I would love it. I would love it.’ And that means so much.”
Carter made huge impression during his time with the Nets
Carter had notable success during his time with the Nets. He was traded by the Toronto Raptors to the Nets early in the 2004-05 season, and he averaged 27.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists during his first season with New Jersey.
He made the All-Star team the next two years with the Nets, averaging 24.2 points and 5.8 rebound in 2005-06 and 25.2 points and 6.0 rebounds in 2006-07.
In addition to the Raptors and the Nets, Carter also played with Dallas, Memphis, Atlanta, Orlando, Sacramento and Phoenix during his career.
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