Vince Carter gets emotional over mentor Julius Erving ahead of Nets jersey retirement

Hall of Famer Vince Carter had a brilliant one A 22-year career in the NBA and a place in the basketball hall of fame. However, the honors didn’t stop for North Carolina’s brilliant 6-6 forward. While in the Nets organization for only 5 seasons, he retired his number 15 jersey as the Nets hosted the Miami Heat.

Carter played for the Nets when they were based in New Jersey, and his tenure with the team began in 2004-05 and ended in 2008-09. He was an All-Star in two of his seasons with the Nets, and was clearly both grateful and emotional about having his number retired.

Carter was particularly delighted to have his retired number hanging next to it Julius ErvingBecause the brilliant and legendary forward was Carter’s idol as a young basketball player.

Carter explained that he called Erving and asked him if he could come to the ceremony. It took Erving a few weeks to get back to Carter, but Dr. J gave the answer the winner wanted to hear.

“It means everything to me,” Carter explained. “I left him a message.” ‘Hey doctor, I want to run some things over for you.’ I got that phone call from him, and he said, ‘Oh man, I’d love that. I would like that.’ And that means a lot.”

Carter made a huge impression during his time with the Nets

Carter had notable success during his time with the Nets. The Toronto Raptors traded him to the Nets early in the 2004-05 season, and he averaged 27.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists during his first season in New Jersey.

He made the All-Star team the next two years with the Nets, averaging 24.2 points and 5.8 rebounds in 2005-06 and 25.2 points and 6.0 rebounds in 2006-07.

In addition to the Raptors and Nets, Carter also played with Dallas, Memphis, Atlanta, Orlando, Sacramento and Phoenix during his career.

Steve Silverman has covered the NFL for more than 35 years, and his writing has appeared in ESPN The Magazine, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, Pro Football Weekly and Forbes.com. He has written 10 books, including “Who’s Better, Who’s the Best in the NFL.”