Nets retire half-man, half-amazing Hall of Famer Vince Carter’s No. 15 jersey

In honor of the high-flying Hall of Famer and his tenure in New Jersey, the Brooklyn Nets have finally raised Vince Carter’s No. 15 jersey to the Barclays Center rafters. 

Carter is one of only seven players in franchise history to earn the honor, joining Bill Melchionni (No. 25), Julius Erving (No. 32), John Williamson (No. 23), Drazen Petrovic (No. 3), Charles “Buck” Williams (No. 52) and Jason Kidd (No. 5). Through 22 iconic NBA seasons, as arguably the greatest dunker to ever live, Carter graced the Raptors (1998-2004), Nets (2004-2009), Magic (2009-2010), Suns (2010-2011), Mavericks (2011-2014), Grizzlies (2014-2017), Kings (2017-2018) and Hawks (2018-2020) all with unforgettable athletic genius.

"15 Carter is going up there, but we're going up there together," Carter said to close his halftime ceremony speech on Jan. 25. "Thank you, Nets. Much love."

The Vinsanity Of It All

• Florida Mr. Basketball (1995)

• McDonald’s All-American (1995)

• First-Team All-ACC (1998)

• NBA Rookie of the Year (1999)

• NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion (2000)

• All-NBA Honors (2000, 2001)

• “Dunk of Death” (2000)

• Olympic Gold Medalist (2000 Sydney)

• Eight-time NBA All-Star (2000-2007)

• NBA Teammate of the Year (2016)

• NBA Sportsmanship Award (2020)

• Hall of Fame Inductee (2024)

• Toronto Raptors No. 15 retired

Now, add Brooklyn Nets No. 15 retired, too, a well-deserved nod to the guard who gave many Nets fans their most cherished basketball memories. 

The Empire State Building also paid tribute to the eight-time NBA All-Star this week, lit in the former Nets color scheme of red, white and blue, with his No. 15 rotating on the landmark's spire. This followed the premiere of a 90-minute documentary entitled From Daytona Beach to Brooklyn, exploring Carter's life and basketball journey.

Carter averaged 23.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists during five seasons and 374 appearances with the Nets, as well as the franchise’s second-best playoff scoring mark at 26 points per game.

Recording over 25,000 points, 5,000 rebounds and 1,500 steals through an unprecedented longevity, Vinsanity spanned more seasons than any other phenomenon in league history. Only Robert Parish and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have played in more games than the Daytona Beach, Fla. native. 

Brooklyn posted a video earlier this month replaying his top-five feats in a Nets uniform, including his January 2009 buzzer-beating three against the Hawks in overtime, December 2005 reverse dunk off the lob from Kidd, a scooping 360 finger roll against the Lakers in January 2005, another game-winner from his January 2006 42-point road performance against the Raptors, and his poster over Miami’s Alonzo Mourning in November 2005. 

Wherever he suited up, Carter made sure to leave the game of basketball better than he found it.