Vince Carter to get his jersey number retired by surprising team

Nov 30, 2019; Houston, TX, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Vince Carter (15) warms up prior to the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

Vince Carter played for eight different teams in his NBA career, but the first one of them to retire his jersey number will come as a surprise.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported Thursday that the Brooklyn Nets plan to retire the eight-time All-Star Carter’s No. 15 jersey. The ceremony will reportedly take place on Jan. 25, 2025 at Barclays Center (the Nets are hosting the Miami Heat that day).

Carter, now 47, had a nice career with the Nets from 2004-09 (when they were still known as the New Jersey Nets). He made two of his All-Star teams with them and averaged 23.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game during his Nets career.

But the news still comes as a surprise to many since Carter was only with the Nets for a relatively short period of time and didn’t even make an All-NBA team while there. The Nets also did not win much in the Carter era, never advancing past the second round of the playoffs and eventually entering a rebuild that led to Carter getting traded to the Orlando Magic in 2009.

Still, Carter has kept a strong relationship with the Nets over the years. After retiring in 2020, Carter joined YES Network in 2023 as a part-time analyst for Nets games. Now he is set to become the seventh player in franchise history to get his jersey number retired by the team.

It is unclear though if Carter will also end up getting his jersey retired by his first and most widely-associated NBA team, the Toronto Raptors. Carter and the Raptors have had a complex relationship over the years, but the signs of improvement are definitely there.