Toronto Raptors: 30 greatest players of all-time

3. Vince Carter

I stumbled around with the number two and three spots numerous times when writing this article. I had Vince at number two multiple times, but once again, durability and longevity prevail for the final time in this piece.

Vinsanity is super cool to look back on, like up there with some of the greatest fads in NBA history.

Carter dunked the Raptors into a whole new stratosphere, from the ugly expansion team with a dinosaur logo to an international market in the space of a weekend.

Sure, no one really wanted to play for the Raptors, at least not Carter, but it meant something to an up and coming team to be recognized for something that’s actually worth talking about and not just a footnote in NBA folklore.

It only took Carter two seasons to be considered a fully-fledged star, averaging 25.7 points per game in his second season, his ability to score from all over the court, not just from highlight reel dunks, was in full-effect all season long.

Vince only appeared in the playoffs on two separate occasions for the Raptors, far less exposure on the main stage than a player of his caliber deserved. His impact in the 2000-01 playoffs was unlike anything the Raptors fans had seen before, and haven’t really seen since, the star player showing up and showing out consistently, something that counts against DeRozan when comparing the two.

Ultimately, we all know how the Vince Carter story ended in Toronto. He significantly shifted the culture of basketball in Canada though, many young Canadian players citing Carter as their influence in the game of basketball. That can’t go unnoticed.