
Vince Carter's Nets No. 15 Jersey Retirement Ceremony - Full Speech
It's been a great past few months for Vince Carter. In October, the 22-year NBA veteran was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and joined the TNT sports family as a studio analyst. Less than a month later, the Toronto Raptors raised his number to the rafters during a memorable, meme-generating night. I'm assuming Santa was kind to him in December. Then, in January, the Brooklyn Nets made the GOAT dunker the seventh player in franchise history to have his number retired.
“This is truly something my family and I will cherish forever,” Carter said during the jersey retirement. “To be the seventh number to go up is insane. It is an honor to be up there with you gentlemen."
As much as I enjoyed watching the player most responsible for my career in sports media and his family watch his number 15 get raised next to his childhood idol, Julius Erving, I must admit that I'm surprised this night happened.
The following are the main reasons an NBA player gets his number retired:
- Long career with the franchise
- Short great or promising career cut short by injuries or death
- Lots of awards/accolades during time with the franchise
- Championships
- Strong relationship/impact with the city
Vince played four and half seasons with the Nets before being sent to Orlando in a trade for Skip To My Lou to save money. During those years, he put up his best all-around stats (career highs in assists and rebounds) and made three All-Star teams (starter in two). The team made the playoffs in three seasons but never surpassed the Eastern Conference Semis. Is that enough to have a jersey raised next to Dr. J and Jason Kidd?
BROOKLYN/NEW JERSEY NETS
- #3 Drazen Petrovic
- #5 Jason Kidd
- #15 Vince Carter
- #23 John Williamson
- #25 Bill Melchionni
- #32 Julius Erving
- #52 Buck Williams
Former player Brandon Jennings suggested Richard Jefferson and his podcast co-host Kenyon Martin deserved to have their numbers retired first. Jennings' case was based on the two playing more years with the franchise and their contribution to a team that went to the NBA Finals twice. For me, that's not enough.
The one number I would probably retire before Vince is Derrick Coleman's 44. He was the Nets' No. 1 pick in the 1990 NBA Draft and had the potential to be one of the greatest forwards ever. During his five years with the franchise, he made two All-NBA teams, which is the most by a Nets player without a number in the rafters. DC also represented the franchise in two All-Star games and on Dream Team 2. His teams didn't have much success in the playoffs despite him routinely putting up 30-point double-doubles.

Derrick Coleman: He was supposed to be THE GREATEST POWER FORWARD OF ALL TIME | FPP
Not only did they not retire DC's number. Ten players have worn it since 1995. Among those ten are seven guys that didn't last more than one season. One of those seven was Donnell Harvey, who played a total of three games with Vince and the Nets.
Again, I couldn't be happier for Vince. I'm just surprised the Nets retired his number. But what's sadly more surprising is that the Nets made their announcement before the Raptors. And Vince absolutely deserves to have his number retired by the Toronto franchise. He made two All-NBA teams and made them must-see TV in the early 2000s when you would see a Carter Raptors jersey in every other rap video, and SportsCenter would often open with a highlight of Carter flying at Air Canada center.
The following are the most surprising retired numbers for each franchise. To be clear, I'm not saying they aren't deserving. They are just numbers that made me say, "Really?"
ATLANTA HAWKS: PETE MARAVICH (44)
- #9 Bob Pettit
- #21 Dominique Wilkins
- #23 Lou Hudson
- #44 Pete Maravich
- #55 Dikembe Mutombo
Pistol Pete is an NBA legend, but when you ask about Hawks' greats and jersey numbers, more people probably think about Carmelo Anthony's jersey. I'm semi-joking, but most people don't remember the early years of Maravich, who finished 3rd in Rookie Of The Year voting.
Also worth noting, this jersey retirement didn't happen until 2020, 32 years after Pete passed away while playing pickup basketball. It would never have occurred before Tony Ressler's group acquired the team in 2015.

Pistol Pete Maravich Atlanta Hawks Jersey Retirement | Atlanta Hawks Highlights | 3.3.17
BOSTON CELTICS: DON NELSON (19)
- #00 Robert Parish
- #1 Walter Brown
- #2 'Red' Auerbach
- #3 Dennis Johnson
- #5 Kevin Garnett
- #6 Bill Russell
- #10 Jo Jo White
- #14 Bob Cousy
- #15 Tom Heinsohn
- #16 Tom Sanders
- #17 John Havlicek
- #18 Dave Cowens
- #19 Don Nelson
- #21 Bill Sharman
- #22 Ed Macauley
- #23 Frank Ramsey
- #24 Sam Jones
- #25 K.C. Jones
- #31 Cedric Maxwell
- #32 Kevin McHale
- #33 Larry Bird
- #34 Paul Pierce
- #35 Reggie Lewis
No NBA team has retired more numbers than the Boston Celtics. They have 23 numbers in the rafters and even retired a name (LOSCY for Jim Loscutoff). The most surprising of the 23 has to be 3 x Coach of the Year Don Nelson. Nellie averaged just 11.4 points and 5.2 rebounds over 11 seasons with the Celtics but played an important role on five championship teams. And this city celebrates team success over individual numbers and accolades.

Don Nelson Career Retrospective
CHARLOTTE HORNETS: BOBBY PHILLS (13)
In 2000, the Hornets honored the late Bobby Phills by making him the only player in franchise history to have his jersey retired. The All-Defensive member played six seasons with Charlotte before dying in a head-on car collision on his way to the arena. The franchise celebrated him and re-hung his jersey during halftime of a game in 2014.

Remembering Bobby Phills
CHICAGO BULLS: JERRY SLOAN (4)
- #4 Jerry Sloan
- #10 Bob Love
- #23 Michael Jordan
- #33 Scottie Pippen
"The Original Bull" is most known as the tough, legendary coach for the Utah Jazz. But long before he was coaching our least favorite Mailman in the world, he was the franchise's best two-way guard until Michael Jordan came along. During his 10 years with the Bulls, he made 6 All-Defensive and two All-Star teams.
He never won a championship as a player or coach, and "The Greatest Bull" is partially responsible for the coaching part.

United States Air Force commercial with Jerry Sloan of the Chicago Bulls and.. Superman?
CLEVELAND CAVS: NATE THURMOND (42)
- #7 'Bingo' Smith
- #11 Zydrunas Ilgauskas
- #22 Larry Nance
- #25 Mark Price
- #34 Austin Carr
- #42 Nate Thurmond
- #43 Brad Daugherty
How can LeBron's father be more surprising than Bingo Smith? First off, I'm joking about the NBA great being LeBron's Dad (google it) but Nate the Great only played two seasons for the franchise and averaged just 5 points and 1.3 rebounds. I know he's from Akron. I know he finished his Hall of Fame career in Cleveland, but is that enough to have his number next to Mark Price, Brad Daugherty, Larry Nance, and even 2 x All-Star Big Z?

Nate Thurmond - The Greatest Man Defender in NBA History
DALLAS MAVS: KOBE BRYANT (24)
- #12 Derek Harper
- #15 Brad Davis
- #22 Rolando Blackman
- #24 Kobe Bryant
- #41 Dirk Nowitzki
Kobe's number is retired even though he never played for the team. Mavs owner Mark Cuban said it almost happened in 2007 when he was going to send Josh Howard, Jason Terry, and picks for the disgruntled Kobe, who asked to be traded. Thankfully, it didn't happen, and Kobe was able to end his career with the team he had started with.
When Kobe passed away in 2020, Cuban announced they would retire his No. 24 for being "an ambassador for our game, a decorated legend and a global icon."
Kobe was also an owner of the Mavs for one night in 2005 when he outscored the entire team 62 to 61 after three quarters.

Remembering Kobe Bryant: Mavs pay tribute in first game since Bryant's death
DENVER NUGGETS: BYRON BECK (40)
- #2 Alex English
- #12 Fat Lever
- #33 David Thompson
- #40 Byron Beck
- #44 Dan Issel
- #55 Dikembe Mutombo
- #432 Doug Moe
Denver is very proud of their ABA roots, and Beck was a two-time All-Star (a six-year gap between is rare) with the Denver Rockers. He also played a single season with the team after the ABA/NBA merger in 1976 and became the franchise's first retired number a year later.
DETROIT PISTONS: VINNIE JOHNSON (15)
- #1 Chauncey Billups
- #2 Chuck Daly
- #3 Ben Wallace
- #4 Joe Dumars
- #10 Dennis Rodman
- #11 Isiah Thomas
- #15 Vinnie Johnson
- #16 Bob Lanier
- #21 Dave Bing
- #32 Richard Hamilton
- #40 Bill Laimbeer
This was a tough one. All 11 names are either in the Hall of Fame or were members of the Bad Boy champions or the team that beat the Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals. I'm picking Vinnie Johnson, aka The Microwave, because he's the only one not to make an All-Star team. He was a 6th Man Of The Year candidate and did knock down a game-winner in an NBA Finals game.

Vinnie Johnson Lights Up Michael Jordan and Company (1989 Playoffs)
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: TOM MESCHERY (14)
- #13 Wilt Chamberlain
- #14 Tom Meschery
- #16 Al Attles
- #17 Chris Mullin
- #24 Rick Barry
- #42 Nate Thurmond
I rarely say, "I have no idea who that NBA player is." But I have no idea who Tom Meschery aka The Mad Russian is, and he was an NBA All-Star. That All-Star season happened in 1963 when the Warriors were the San Francisco Warriors. He averaged 13 points and 8 rebounds over five seasons. And now we all know a little more about why you have never seen a player on the Warriors wear No. 14.
HOUSTON ROCKETS: KENNY SMITH (14)
- #11 Yao Ming
- #22 Clyde Drexler
- #23 Calvin Murphy
- #24 Moses Malone
- #34 Hakeem Olajuwon
- #44 Elvin Hayes
- #45 Rudy Tomjanovich
Kenny Smith didn't officially have his number retired but I can't pass up the opportunity to show this clip from INSIDE THE NBA.
Although the Jet's individual accomplishments don't match up with the seven players Houston retired, he was a starter for the back-to-back Clutch City Champions. And those two rings are only matched by Hakeem Olajuwon and Coach Rudy T.

Inside the NBA: Kenny's jersey retired
INDIANA PACERS: ROGER BROWN (35)
- #30 George McGinnis
- #31 Reggie Miller
- #34 Mel Daniels
- #35 Roger Brown
- #529 Bobby Leonard
Brown is most known for being banned by the NCAA and NBA for his involvement in a point-shaving scandal. Due to the ban, he ended up in the ABA, making four All-Star teams and winning three championships with the Pacers. He was such a great player that Pacers legend Reggie Miller once called Brown "the greatest player to never play in the NBA."

Roger Brown Career Highlight Video
LA LAKERS: PAU GASOL (16)
- #8/#24 Kobe Bryant
- #13 Wilt Chamberlain
- #16 Pau Gasol
- #22 Elgin Baylor
- #25 Gail Goodrich
- #32 'Magic' Johnson
- #33 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- #34 Shaquille O'Neal
- #42 James Worthy
- #44 Jerry West
- #52 Jamaal Wilkes
- #99 George Mikan
A lot of people forget how good Gasol was during the post-Shaq Lakers. He was a 20-point scoring All-Star with the Grizzlies but didn't make his first All-NBA team until he teamed up with Kobe. He made three of those All-NBA teams, including a 2nd team after winning back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010.

Pau Gasol thanks Vanessa, Kobe Bryant during jersey retirement ceremony | NBA on ESPN
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES: ZACH RANDOLPH (50)
Z-BO's 50 is the only number the franchise ever retired. The 'Grit 'n' Grind' leader made two All-Star teams, one All-NBA, and won five Community Assist awards.
Here's what he had to say during an appearance on KG's podcast about having his number retired:
"Coming from a small city, Indiana, country boy, mother on welfare. He wasn't expected to lead the hood. I didn't expect to make it out, man. It's a blessing to come in there and see my name in the NBA jersey. Every time I go in the FedEx Forum, I ain't going to lie, I damn near shed a tear forever. C'mon man, nobody ever thinks there'll be a Z-Bo jersey hanging up in the NBA arena."
The Grizzlies announced Tony Allen would have his jersey retired but delayed the ceremony due to his legal issues.

Zach Randolph's Memphis Grizzlies Jersey Retirement!
MIAMI HEAT: MICHAEL JORDAN (23)
- #1 Chris Bosh
- #3 Dwyane Wade
- #10 Tim Hardaway
- #23 Michael Jordan
- #32 Shaquille O'Neal
- #33 Alonzo Mourning
Here's Jimmy Butler's best friend on why the man who tortured so many of his teams is hanging in the Miami rafters:
"It was made as a sign of respect of what Jordan has done for the game. Having our guys walk onto the court and look up to see how high you have to climb to reach what he has achieved is something that I think is honorable. I just believe he deserves it.
Funny thing is, when Jimmy Butler and Pat Riley were buddies, Riley told Butler that he would un-retire the No. 23 jersey so Butler could wear it. The former Chicago Bull wisely declined the offer.
The real question is, will Riley ever retire LeBron's number?

Pat Riley on the GOAT Conversation in 2007
MILWAUKEE BUCKS: JUNIOR BRIDGEMAN (2)
- #1 Oscar Robertson
- #2 Junior Bridgeman
- #4 Sydney Moncrief
- #8 Marques Johnson
- #10 Bob Dandridge
- #14 Jon McGlocklin
- #16 Bob Lanier
- #32 Brian Winters
- #33 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Charles Barkley once called Junior "one of the greatest stories ever." And this has very little to do with what the man the Bucks called "Super Sub" did on the court.
Junior made less than $3M over 12 productive 6th Man seasons in the NBA (10 with the Bucks). Thanks to some wise investing, including over 450 restaurants, he accumulated a net worth of over $600M! If that's not a great enough story, in 2024, he became a minority owner of the Bucks.

JUNIOR BRIDGEMAN EXPLAINS HOW HE SCALED TO 275 WENDY'S AND 125 CHILI'S LOCATIONS
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: MALIK SEALY (2)
NYC great Malik Sealy is the only player to have his jersey retired by the Wolves. Like Bobby Phills, Sealy was tragically killed in a car accident in 2000. His friend and teammate Kevin Garnett (who will be the 2nd player in the rafters) honored Sealy by writing the number 2 inside of his shoes before every game.
Sealy is also known for his character, Stacy Patton, in the 1996 film EDDIE and this line from AZ: “Feel me, I’m loved like the great late Malik Sealy.”

Kevin Garnett and Malik Sealy Feature - 10 Year Anniversary of Sealy's Death
NEW YORK KNICKS: DICK BARNETT (12)
- #10 Walt Frazier
- #12 Dick Barnett
- #15 Dick McGuire & Earl Monroe
- #19 Willis reed
- #22 Dave DeBusschere
- #24 Bill Bradley
- #33 Patrick Ewing
- #613 Red Holzman
The franchise only has two championships, so everyone who played a significant role on the 1970 and 1973 teams had their jerseys retired. Not to downplay his game, "Fall Back Baby" was an All-Star and led the team in scoring once.
OKC THUNDER/SEATTLE SUPERSONICS: NICK COLLISON (4)
- #1 Gus Williams
- #4 Nick Collison
- #10 Nate McMillan
- #19 Lenny Wilkens
- #24 Spencer Haywood
- #32 Fred Brown
- #43 Jack Sikma
Nick Collison's number is retired, while Gary Payton's 20 and Shawn Kemp's 40 are not. I'm not a fan of combining accomplishments or fails from the Sonics and Thunder, but OKC claims Seattle's history, and they allowed Ryan Bowen to wear Kemp's number.
My real beef is with Sonic's ownership for not retiring those numbers, like they did with Nate McMillan, before allowing the franchise to leave Seattle.
As for Russell Westbrook's mentor, this is why the Thunder made him the first number to be retired: "He has cemented himself as part of the fabric of this community and our organization by setting an example of commitment, hard work and authenticity. He helped create the internal standards for work ethic, selflessness, citizenship and professionalism for an organization that was starting from scratch. Unique in that as a role player, he embedded himself as a legacy player for the Thunder because of his consistency both in times of success and adversity and respect for his teammates and the organization."

Before Nick Collison retired, Russell Westbrook made sure fans honored him at final home game | ESPN
ORLANDO MAGIC: THE FANS (6)
- #6 Fans
- #32 Shaquille O'Neal
It took the franchise 35 years until they finally retired a real jersey. That jersey was the 32 worn by Shaquille O'Neal, the greatest and most popular player in Magic history.
I said "real" because the only jersey in the rafters was the number 6. It represented "the fans" because they are "the Sixth Man." They un-retired it in 2001 and then retired it again in 2022 when every team in the league retired it in honor of Bill Russell. What are the odds?
Before 2024, the Magic celebrated their best players by inducting them into "The Orlando Magic Hall of Fame." Among the 12 in that hall are Tracy McGrady, Shaq and his former teammates, Penny Hardaway, Nick Anderson, Darrell Armstrong, and Dennis Scott.

Shaq Finds Out the Magic Are Retiring His Jersey | Inside the NBA
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS: MO CHEEKS (10)
- #2 Moses Malone
- #3 Allen Iverson
- #4 Dolph Schayes
- #6 Julius Erving
- #10 Maurice Cheeks
- #13 Wilt Chamberlain
- #15 Hal Greer
- #24 Bobby Jones
- #32 Billy Cunningham
- #34 Charles Barkley
There are no surprises here, but if I had to pick one, it's Maurice Cheeks. Mo might be one of the most underrated early to mid-80s players. He was an All-Star, one of the best defenders in the league, and a starter on that great Championship team of 1983.

Maurice Cheeks - Great 76ers Players
PHOENIX SUNS: ALVAN ADAMS (33)
- #5 Dick Van Arsdale
- #6 Walter Davis
- #7 Kevin Johnson
- #9 Dan Majerle
- #13 Steve Nash
- #23 Tom Chambers
- #31 Shawn Marion
- #33 Alvan Adams
- #34 Charles Barkley
- #42 Connie Hawkins
- #44 Paul Westphal
Adams's first year in the league included making the All-Star team and a trip to the NBA Finals. The Oklahoma Kid also recorded a crazy triple-double with 47 points, 18 rebounds and 12 assists. I'm only picking him over Shawn Marion because most people have no idea who he is, he never made another All-Star appearance during his 13-year career (all with the Suns), and because I thought it was cool that he allowed the franchise to un-retire his number so Grant Hill could wear it.
PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS: LARRY WEINBERG (1)
- #1 Larry Weinberg
- #13 Dave Twardzik
- #14 Lionel Hollins
- #15 Larry Steele
- #20 Maurice Lucas
- #22 Clyde Drexler
- #30 Terry Porter
- #32 Bill Walton
- #36 Lloyd Neal
- #45 Geoff Petrie
- #77 Jack Ramsay
As much as I would like to discuss Dave Twardzik's average of 10 points over four seasons with the Blazers, I'm going with Weinberg because I'm not a fan of owners having their names in the rafters. He was the original owner, but I still don't think his name should be next to Drexler, Walton, and Twardzik. Okay, it can be next to Twardzik.
SACRAMENTO KINGS: VLADE DIVAC (21)
- #1 Nate Archibald
- #2 Mitch Richmond
- #4 Chris Webber
- #11 Bob Davies
- #12 Maurice Stokes
- #14 Oscar Robertson
- #16 Peja Stojakovic
- #21 Vlade Divac
- #27 Jack Twyman
- #44 Sam Lacey
After the Lakers (and refs) eliminated the Kings in the 2002 Playoffs, Shaq hilariously recreated the theme song to CHEERS with the lyrics, "Vlade, are you stupid? I'll tell you one time again: you need to go where they know your name. You said, we wouldn't win in your place. Guess what? Kobe dunked it in your face. You need to go where people know your name."
Well, they know his name well in that place called Sacramento. He made one All-Star team during his playing days with the Kings, had his jersey retired in 2009, became VP of basketball operations in 2013, added GM to his business card in 2015 and drafted Marvin Bagley III over Luka Doncic in 2018.

Timeless Divac - Retirement Ceremony
SAN ANTONIO SPURS: BRUCE BOWEN (12)
- #00 Johnny Moore
- #6 Avery Johnson
- #9 Tony Parker
- #12 Bruce Bowen
- #13 James Silas
- #20 Manu Ginobili
- #21 Tim Duncan
- #32 Sean Elliott
- #44 George Gervin
- #50 David Robinson
Love him or hate him because you think he's dirty, you have to credit Bowen for being an important part of the Spurs team that won three championships between 2003-2007. He was also a lock for First or Second All-Defensive team every year and would have had two DPOY awards if it wasn't for Ben Wallace. With all that said, I was shocked when they announced they were retiring his jersey.
It was only retired for three seasons before he granted the franchise permission to un-retire it so LaMarcus Aldridge could wear it.

Bruce Bowen Highlights With the San Antonio Spurs
UTAH JAZZ: KARL MALONE (32)
- #1 Frank Layden
- #4 Adrian Dantley
- #7 Pete Maravich
- #9 Larry Miller
- #12 John Stockton
- #14 Jeff Hornacek
- #32 Karl Malone
- #35 Darrell Griffith
- #53 Mark Eaton
- #1,223 Jerry Sloan
Karl Malone is third all-time in career points and one of the greatest power forwards ever. Many even considered the two-time MVP and Dream Team member the greatest power forward ever until Tim Duncan came along. His accomplishments on the court absolutely make him worthy of having his jersey retired.
He's also a person for whom the NBA had to stop making social media birthday posts because the comments would all be about his off-the-court history. A history that makes it difficult to praise anything he's ever done.

Karl Malone speaks about Michael Jordan
WASHINGTON BULLETS/WIZARDS: PHIL CHENIER (45)
- #10 Earl Monroe
- #11 Elvin Hayes
- #25 Gus Johnson
- #41 Wes Unseld
- #45 Phil Chenier
Before the franchise retired Phil Chenier's number in 2018, 21 years had passed since they raised a number to the rafters. That number was the 10 that Earl "The Pearl" Monroe wore during his Baltimore Bullet days. So what happened over the last two decades for them to finally celebrate the three-time All-Star and member of the 1978 Championship team? During that time, Phil was in the middle of a 30-year career as a color analyst for the team.
During the ceremony, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said, via video message, "What took them so long? I guess the old adage ‘better late than never’ really applies here."
With teams retiring numbers, building statues, and celebrating players nowadays, I don't think that old adage will be used much anymore.

Phil Chenier, A History In Baltimore/Washington NBA Basketball