Earlier this month, Vince Carter’s Hall of Fame induction met with many cheers from the fans. Similarly, when the Toronto Raptors’ potential city edition jersey leaked with a nod to the 8x All-Star, shone the sun a little brighter for his loyalists. But with the recent announcement from the Brooklyn Nets, the Raptors fans don’t seem to be all aboard. All because the Canadian franchise is yet to retire Carter’s jersey and the Nets will be the first franchise to do it.

A tweet from Michael Scotto confirming the news had people twitching. Vince Carter represented Toronto for 7 different seasons, before his move to Brooklyn Nets. The ceremony will take place in January, during the game against the Miami Heat at Barclays Center. He will become the 7th player in the franchise’s history to receive the honor.

Drazen Petrovic (#3), Jason Kidd (#5), John Williamson (#23), Bill Melchionni (#25), Charles “Buck” Williams (#52) and Julius ‘Dr. J’ Erving (#32). Dr. J alongside Tracy McGrady will also introduce Vince Carter for the induction ceremony. The 1999 ROTY will headline the 2024 class consisting of Chauncey Billups, Michael Cooper, Walter Davis, Bo Ryan, and Charles Smith.

The governor of the Brooklyn Nets felt delighted about the jersey retirement. “We are thrilled to honor former Nets player Vince Carter, who contributed so much to this organization both on and off the court.” Joe Tsai continued, “He is an important part of the Nets franchise history and we look forward to welcoming him to Barclays Center this season to celebrate his legacy.” Even though he only played 5 seasons, the Nets are the first team with the honor, which the Toronto fans disliked.

Vince Carter’s jersey retirement had fans questioning Toronto’s intentions

Vince Carter was averaging 23.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists while leading Toronto to its first-ever playoff appearance in 2000. So a fan wrote, “Shameful that the Raptors didn’t do it first. Vince put that team on the map! That is Vinsanity!” What’s more puzzling for the fans is that the franchise is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

In July, the team announced a new logo for the celebration and promised a year-long calendar of special moments and events honoring the culture, the city, and the icons. Hence, a loyalist felt that they missed the boat by not retiring Vince Carter’s jersey. “The Nets officially plan to retire Vince Carter’s jersey on January 25th. Feels wrong that the Raptors won’t be the first…”

Even though he only spent 5 seasons with the Nets, he took them to playoffs thrice. Also, he achieved his best-ever stat line, 23.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. However, one netizen wasn’t convinced of the Nets for their honor. “He played there for 5 seasons. That’s insane glazing.”

When Carter played for the Nets, it was for New Jersey. So obviously a New Jersey fan got enraged and questioned the logic of the Nets. “This should take place in New Jersey. HE NEVER PLAYED IN BROOKLYN. STOP STEALING OUR NJ CULTURE!!!!” But the rivalry did not stop there, even the New York fan was upset.

The cross-town fan questioned the Knicks management for ignoring Carmelo Anthony’s retirement when he found out the news about the Nets retiring Vince Carter’s jersey. “Nets retiring Vince Carter jersey and Knicks still ain’t retire Melos lol crazy.”

Carter is still third in the franchise list of top points scorers. Even though he last played for the franchise in 2009. The question for the Toronto franchise not doing it first is valid. Maybe they have planned something special for a later date.

“Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.”