Changing a national anthem for an NBA player? Rarely has it happened in sports history for a team to change the national anthem to honor a player. Vince Carter came into the league back in 1998 with the fifth overall pick in the NBA draft. He quickly became one of the most electrifying players in the league and an icon for the city of Toronto.
The franchise once changed the Canadian National anthem for him back in 2000, as a way to honor what he did for Canadian basketball as well as the Raptors organization, which made him visibly embarrassed before tip-off.
The video shows Carter smiling and trying to play it off as calmly as he can. But fans can clearly see how gleefully embarrassed he was when he realized the national anthem was changed to honor him and his contributions to the franchise.
Even after getting traded, fans always gave VC a standing ovation whenever he came back to play in Canada. Carter played eight seasons with the Raptors franchise. He was the Rookie of the Year in his first season and became an All-Star within the second year of his 22-year-long illustrious NBA career.
He led the Raptors to three playoff appearances and his 2000 NBA Slam Dunk performance is something that is still talked about to this day. VC became an icon for young basketball enthusiasts all over Canada.
Tristan Thompson, who grew up in Brampton, once spoke about the impact Carter had on him. He labeled VC as the Michael Jordan of Canada. And even though Carter did not have the same level of scoring as MJ, he certainly did surpass Black Jesus in terms of dunking.
Carter was once asked to give his two cents on players being a bit apprehensive about playing for the Raptors solely due to the franchise being located in Canada. Another reason was it’s a city that would be awkward to live in for an African American.
Exasperated with the reasoning given behind the player’s apprehension to live in Toronto, this is what VC had to say.
“I’ve had my ups and downs with Toronto for whatever reason, being traded and all that. But one thing Toronto is not is an awkward city for an African-American.”
Carter was in Toronto for eight full years, helping build the base of the franchise. And judging by his body language and facial expressions, he clearly did not agree with the reason behind the player’s apprehension to play for the Raptors.
