"We were like rock stars" - Vince Carter on how Raptors fans treated him and his teammates

Most NBA fans remember the controversy surrounding Vince Carter’s 2004 exit from the Toronto Raptors — those games where he was accused of coasting through plays and giving minimal effort. Of course, Raptors fans were furious, holding onto that resentment long after “Air Canada” had left town.

What looked like an unfixable rift between Carter and Toronto’s fan base wasn’t always that way, though. V.C. has said that, for a time, he, his teammates, and the city felt perfectly aligned. Looking back on that connection, the 1999 Rookie of the Year admitted he couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

“There was nothing like being in Toronto and playing there,”said Carter, per IMDB.

V.C. sparked a basketball craze in Canada

After landing in Toronto, Carter — the number five pick in the 1998 draft — quickly became a sensation across Canada. And how could he not? One look at V.C.’s highlight dunks in a Raptors uniform says it all.

Yet looking at the bigger picture, it’s actually remarkable that the former North Carolina Tar Heels standout reached such iconic status. After all, hockey famously reigns supreme in Canada, catching most of the attention from sports fans.

Carter himself acknowledged that truth but emphasized how quickly basketball was catching on, drawing wave after wave of new Raptors fans. After years of middle‑of‑the‑pack play since their 1995 debut, Toronto finally had a team worth uniting behind.

“We were like rock stars… you have fans wherever you go and I felt a lot of love everywhere,” recounted the former eight-time All-Star.

Fan devotion

During his remarkable 22-year stint in the association, Carter played in front of countless fan bases, having suited up for the New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and Atlanta Hawks. Yet nothing matched the admiration he received from Raptors fans.

That bond, V.C. said, became even stronger when the Vancouver Grizzlies relocated to Memphis, leaving Toronto as Canada’s only NBA team. Overnight, every Canadian basketball fan had just one team to root for — and they did so wholeheartedly.

The former 6’6″ swingman compared that energy to college basketball, where communities usually rally behind a single team and loyalty runs deep.

“Playing those six years [with the Raptors] felt like being in college. Because this was it,” he recalled.

Carter also noted how Toronto stood apart from other NBA cities. In some U.S. markets, such as New Jersey at the time, fan support could feel more fleeting or transactional — plenty of spectators came from elsewhere just to see a game. Toronto was different. The fans were local, passionate, and personally invested in their team. Their loyalty wasn’t driven only by the spectacle of NBA basketball but by a sense of community that gave Carter’s time there a uniquely special meaning.

He was correct — and while the early years of his tenure held one type of excitement, the Raptors’ 2018–19 championship run offered a different kind of magic.

After defeating the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, Toronto hosted a parade that felt historic. Reports estimate that around three million people took to the streets to celebrate — roughly eight percent of Canada’s entire population.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 27, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

“We were like rock stars” – Vince Carter on how Raptors fans treated him and his teammates

Tags: