Honorable Mentions: Chris Bosh, Antonio Davis, DeMar DeRozan
When you think of the passion that the Toronto fan base has shown towards the NBA, and specifically the Raptors, over the past few years, it doesn’t seem unfair to say that none of that would have been possible if Vince Carter hadn’t gone before them.
Although the way that he left the franchise still stings many Raptors fans to this day, Carter’s show-stopping basketball of the late 90s/early 00s introduced Toronto to the wider NBA audience, and upped Canadian interest to a whole new level.
“Vinsanity” took Toronto and the league by storm, as Carter’s incredible athleticism and eye-popping offensive game played a major role in him being selected as an All-Star in seven of his eight seasons as a Raptor.
Watching Vince Carter is like going to a movie. – Charles Oakley
Carter never had enough talent around him to truly achieve anything in the larger scheme of things as a Raptor though, still 23.4 points and 5.2 rebounds in Toronto is no mean feat. Carter is in the top five in Raptors history for all five of the major statistical areas.
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