Raptors' Ujiri: 'Vince Carter will be home in Toronto'
With Hollywood power players descending on Toronto for the city's annual film festival, one documentary of local interest has been "The Carter Effect", chronicling Vince Carter's impact more than a decade ago on the Raptors franchise and basketball in Canada.
Related: Carter's impact on Canadian basketball celebrated in new documentary
Raptors president Masai Ujiri attended the premiere Saturday, and during a Q&A alongside the film's producers, offered a somewhat unclear statement. "Vince Carter will be home in Toronto," Ujiri said, according to Sportsnet's Michael Grange.
Carter signed with the Sacramento Kings as a free agent in July. There's been speculation for a few years now that the Raptors could have an interest in bringing the onetime face of the franchise back, but it hasn't happened - even though Carter could have filled a Toronto roster need this summer.
Turning 41 in January, time is running out on the playing career of the man once known as "Air Canada", who since carved out a niche as an effective role player after his superstar days ended.
It's quite possible, however, that Ujiri was also hinting at the chances of the Raptors organization one day retiring Carter's number. While some Toronto fans still hold the circumstances around his controversial 2004 trade against him, there's little doubt about Carter's impact on the NBA in Canada.
Though his peak playing performance with the Raptors only lasted from 1999 to 2001, the Floridian was also responsible for capturing the hearts and minds of a generation of young Canadian basketball enthusiasts. Toronto NBA products such as Tristan Thompson, Cory Joseph, and Andrew Wiggins have all pointed to Carter's presence during their childhoods as some level of inspiration.
The Raptors have retired no player numbers in their 22-year history. Carter wore No. 15 with the team from 1998-2004.