Raptors' Ujiri rebuffs critics of Carter's jersey retirement: 'Time heals'

Raptors president Masai Ujiri confirmed that the team will retire Vince Carter's No. 15 this season and dismissed criticism of the decision regarding the controversial end to the star's Toronto tenure.

"The Vince Carter effect is real," Ujiri told TSN's Josh Lewenberg. "It doesn’t matter what happened. Time heals. ... We're very, very proud of the path he set for us."

Reports surfaced earlier this week that the Raptors would raise Carter's jersey to their rafters Nov. 2, making him the first player in franchise history to receive the honor. Ujiri made the official announcement with Carter in attendance Friday during the unveiling of a revitalized outdoor basketball court in Toronto, first built by Carter's charity foundation in 2003.

Carter played the first six-and-a-half seasons of his career with the Raptors, who traded for his rights on draft night in 1998. The Hall of Famer elevated the then-nascent franchise to new heights, following up a Rookie of the Year award by helping the team make three trips to the playoffs, including the 2001 conference semifinals.

Nicknamed "Half Man, Half Amazing" for a litany of highlight-reel dunks in his early career, Carter also made five All-Star appearances and two All-NBA teams as a member of the Raptors, and he won the 2000 Slam Dunk contest.

However, midway through 2004-05, Carter was traded to the then-New Jersey Nets for an underwhelming return after reportedly being unhappy in Toronto. Weeks later, he admitted during an interview on TNT that he didn't push himself as hard as he should have while with the Raptors.

Carter was perpetually booed by the home crowd in subsequent visits to Toronto until the Raptors aired a tribute video in 2014 when he returned with the Memphis Grizzlies. That resulted in a standing ovation and the first positive reception for him in Toronto since his contentious exit a decade earlier.

Carter, whose No. 15 will also be retired by the Nets on Jan. 25, acknowledged that there may still be some within the Raptors' fanbase who disagree with retiring his number.

"I know there are people with mixed (feelings)," he said Friday, courtesy of Lewenberg. "That's fine and that's fair and that's OK. But let's enjoy the moment."