[Lewenberg] There are folks in the Raptors organization who feel strongly Lowry’s No. 7 should be first to hang from the rafters but a strong push from others to celebrate the franchise’s 30th season with VC jersey retirement. Given how bleak next season could be, betting the latter wins out
There are folks in the Raptors organization who feel strongly Lowry’s No. 7 should be first to hang from the rafters but a strong push from others to celebrate the franchise’s 30th season with VC jersey retirement. Given how bleak next season could be, betting the latter wins out
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) May 15, 2024
by Bobby_Webster
34 Comments
I’m just gonna say it, it would be an insult to the fan base and to Lowry. We can forgive but honestly, not gonna forget what this guy did. Both good and bad, neither warrants a jersey retirement.
This feels wrong
If Lowry was retired, yeah he should definitely get his jersey retired first. Everyone here has him as the consensus GROAT.
He’s not done playing though. So you either delay VC’s jersey retirement (fine by me), or you just bite the bullet and do it next season. I personally think there are other ways to celebrate the 30th anniversary and VC than to do a jersey retirement. Bring back the purple dino, and have VC memorial night.
FWIW Larry T has said Kyle would be first, granted this was years ago so things can change
> “He will retire as a Raptor and his number will absolutely go up there,” Tanenbaum told Weiss. “The honor will be the first one (for the Raptors) and I love Kyle.
[Source](https://www.nba.com/news/raptors-plan-to-retire-kyle-lowrys-no-7-jersey)
VC getting his jersey retired for marketing reasons. That’s classic MLSE.
I have never felt like the Raptors should retire Vince’s number. But I can at least recognize that there is a decent case to do so, given his impact on basketball in Canada.
I REALLY don’t understand why the Nets are doing it. Vince played less than 5 season with them and they never got past the second round. But more than that, all of Vince’s biggest career highlights came when he was with the Raptors.
I’m all for forgiving VC. Hell, he made my early years of watching basketball and cheering for the Raptors so memorable. That being said, his jersey in the rafters before Kyle’s would be a massive insult
I honestly don’t understand why it matters whose jersey is retired “first”.
What is this, a YouTube comment section? Who gives a fuck, I’d argue it doesn’t make sense to retire players out of order anyway, because deciding based on who else has been retired means you’re not judging based on that player’s resume and work with the franchise.
At the end of the day, he clearly has the resume to merit a jersey retirement – he made the HOF based almost entirely on his Raptors career, where 90% of his accolades were earned. He got just as deep in the playoffs with the Raps as he did with the Nets. I really don’t see the argument for retiring Lowry first.
He quit on the team and while the management was incompetent he also enabled the mess of the roster by having his friends signed to deals that made the team weaker in the long run anyway.
I don’t have Vince living in my head and I’m fine with him eventually being honoured by the team b lit he shouldn’t be the first guy honoured because of what happened in the lead up to the Nets trade
They are going to retire Vinces jersey to distract from what is expected to be a poor basketball product?
Can they not just drop the price (they can brand it as a “thank you to fans”) for the season? That sounds like the right thing to do.
I ain’t gonna lie to you wouldn’t be surprised if this was the first booed jersey retirement knowing Raptor fans 😂
30th anniversary seems a bit rushed and doesn’t really have the impact, how about do it on our team’s 1 million year anniversary? It would be more monumental, and those who oppose it would be too dead to care
Lowry needs to be recognized first, then VC. Order of priority.
i didn’t start watching until 2011 so it would mean way more to me to retire Lowry’s # instead
I just don’t feel like VC’s jersey should be retired by the Raptors considering the way he left. I mean he sabotaged his own team to get traded
Vc deserves his number in the rafters, he kept basketball in toronto and im not willing to debate otherwise… that being said, wait until lowry retires
retire vince already
How sad is it that the deciding factor to reluctantly retire 15 is that it’d be good for business because our current franchise is shit.
No Carter.
Yes, Lowry.
lowry will play maybe two more years so
I can’t see them retiring VC’s number. The team PR has to know there are gonna be boos during that. As a Raps fan I’m well over what he did and have a ton of respect for his career, but you don’t do that for a guy who left the way he did.
First jersey retirement to get boos. Good idea raptors org.
So we not only have to tank, swallow double digit ticket price increases, but have to bow down to the guy that tried to bury the franchise six feet under on the way out?
No F-ing way. With that Championship we got our self respect and I’m not ready to piss that away putting that mans jersey in the rafters beside the banner.
Have a night for the dunk champ. We can run a highlight reel of 360’s, alley oops and tomahawks…then we can run the highlight reel of frowns, head bands and jumpers knee.
It would be an absolute disgrace if they tried to retire Carters jersey here.
Jersey retirement is an honour that is earned, and VC does not deserve that honour.
There is no way they should retire VC jersey. If they do it cheapens every raps jersey retirement because it should be saved for franchise legends who are universally loved by the fans. Vince with the way he left just simply doesn’t deserve it. Yes, The bar is high but we’re talking about jersey retirement which is pretty sacred space.
We shouldn’t honour quitters, people. At least let the man who played hard his entire time here get the honour first.
oh hell no, unless they want carter booed for his own jersey hanging… is this guy reputable?
I have no issue with the jersey retirement order, neither would Kyle Lowry lol
VC clearly loves toronto today though, so I guess I wouldnt be opposed to a jersey retirement? Though everything that happened around him kinda leaves a bad taste in my mouth
A VC jersey retirement? This can’t be real.
what bleakness is he alluding to? Is Lewenberg a non believer in the BBQ era?
I just dont get why VC is getting his jersey retired in Toronto.
It isnt league wide and he never won a chip here.
Raptors Reddit thinks they represent the fanbase, while MLSE thinks they don’t. I’m betting the latter wins out and that Jersey goes up.
Lowry is meant for more than a jersey retirement with this team, so he’s going to get the kind of flowers Vince never will anyway.
Why are we retiring this mf’ers jersey? Just because he had 3 good seasons with us? A second round knockout followed by nothing and topping it off by quitting on the team. This is a fucking joke.
Just make some honour thing like the Level of Excellence the Jays do. Not quite a jersey retirement, but still recognizing the player’s contribution