On Friday night, the Los Angeles Lakers continued their road trip, taking on the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena, with LeBron James and company hoping to snap their two-game skid. Even though the team had a lead of 26 points at one point in the game, the short-handed Raptors were able to cut the deficit to single digits and make a game of it in the final stretch.
Despite the second-half surge by the Raptors, the Lakers were able to hold on and get their fourth win of the season and improve to 4-2. Although the Raptors suffered their fifth loss of the season, it wasn’t all bad for the struggling franchise on Friday night as they were able to honor Hall of Famer Vince Carter by retiring his No. 15 jersey.
Even though Carter played for eight different teams during his playing career that spanned more than two decades, the iconic figure is known more for his time with the Raptors than any other franchise he played for because of the impact he had in Toronto.
After the game between the Raptors and Lakers on Friday night, superstar LeBron James talked about Carter getting his jersey retired and how the former face of the Toronto franchise impacted the league’s presence in Canada, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“Congratulations to Vinsanity, rightfully so. It makes all the sense in the world with what he has done for this franchise, giving back to the community. He changed how basketball is looked at in Canada and obviously Toronto. Well-deserved.”
CONGRATULATIONS VINSANITY!!!! @mrvincecarter15 🫡. DOPE!! ♾️ IMMORTALIZED IN THE 6!!!
— LeBron James (@KingJames) November 3, 2024
James also talked about his memories of Carter on the basketball floor and what sticks out in his mind about the career of the former face of the Raptors franchise:
“Talking about memories, obviously the 50-point game versus the Sixers in the postseason. The rookie windmill, two-hand windmill backwards dunk versus Indiana on Chris Mullins, went around Chris Mullins and Rik Smits tried to box. The lob in preseason down at the University of North Carolina when he got that windmill. There’s a ton. There’s too many to name obviously. And obviously the Dunk Contest when he shut down the Dunk Contest and gave you the ‘It’s over’ signal.”
Although Carter was never able to win a title during the 22 seasons he played in the NBA, the impact he had on the game and his teammates and peers in the league is undeniable. Carter is arguably the greatest in-game dunker of all time, with some unforgettable dunks during his career and the best performance ever seen in the Slam Dunk Contest.
LeBron James impressed with Lakers’ ball movement against Raptors
The Los Lakers got sloppy in the second half against the Toronto Raptors on Friday night by letting their 26-point lead dwindle to single-digits, but LeBron James was encouraged by the ball movement the team had during the game, which is a step in the right direction.
After snapping their two-game losing streak on Friday, the Lakers will continue their road trip on Monday with the team taking on the Detroit Pistons in hopes of getting their fifth win.
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