New York – When Vince CarterThe 6, 12 or 23 favorite numbers were not available as a first-year basketball player in Mainland High School in Florida, he followed his mother’s advice, Michelle.
“My mother said to me: ‘Find a number and make it famous’,” said Carter.
Carter and its very famous number 15 again reached new heights when the Brooklyn nets He withdrew him at halftime from his match on Saturday against the Miami warmth.
Carter’s family, his former Nets teammates, former coach Lawrence Frank, the president of the Rod Thorn team and other Net retirees Julius ErvingBill Melchionni and Buck Williams were present to see Carter become the seventh Net player with his withdrawal number.
“This is really something that my family and I cherish forever,” Carter said at the ceremony. “Being the seventh issue to be assembled is insane. It is an honor to be among you, gentlemen.
“No. 15 Carter goes there, but we go there together.
Carter passed the match sitting next to Erving, his childhood idol. Former teammates Jason Kidd And Richard Jefferson sent messages of congratulations, just like the tops of the New York region Elie ManningQueen Latifah and rapper Fabolous.
Carter’s numbered banner will live next to the number 5 of Kidd, which is appropriate since they were pilots of one of the most successful eras in the history of the team. Carter also thanked Kidd for invigorating it after the Nets acquired Carter from the club. Raptors of Toronto in December 2004.
“There was a new life,” Carter said about his arrival in New Jersey. “My role in Toronto simply consisted of giving me the ball and I will offer you one (basket). But when I got here, they had a guy … he made me the game easier.
Although it only played 374 games on more than four seasons with the Nets, Carter holds the team record for points in a single season (2,070 in 2006-07) and is third in history team for the total point (8,834). It ranks fourth for 3 -point shots (638) and points in playoffs (701).
He helped the nets to reach the playoffs three times, and they won twice an eliminatory series before falling in front of the possible champions of the East Conference (the Miami warmth in 2006 and the Cleveland riders in 2007).
“At that time, they never managed to reach the summit, so they will probably never be recognized as they should have been,” said Heat Erik Spoelstra coach, who was assistant to Miami when the team won the title of champion in 2006. “It was a damn good basketball team, and (Carter) was an integral part.”
Carter, who is in his first season as Nets television analyst, retired in 2020 after an NBA record of 22 seasons at 43 years old and was inducted from Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024.
“I love to see how his game has evolved since his arrival,” said Spoelstra. “To be simply a dunker to be a (player with) impossible … and then he was able to be one of the few in this league to be able to make a transition with grace. It’s really incredible. This testifies to the type of human being he is.
Although he played 11 seasons after the New Jersey exchanged him Orlando magic In 2009 and after spending time with eight NBA teams, Carter said that some of his best days had come with Nets.
“We had fun, but we understood when it was time to lock ourselves,” said Carter. “We spent time, we had fun and played for each other, and that’s what made the game fun.
“I went out and I did my job and I had a great time doing it.”