The Vince Carter Era

On June 24, 1998, the Golden State Warriors selected Vince Carter 5th overall in the NBA Draft out of the University of North Carolina, then immediately traded him to the Toronto Raptors in a draft-night swap for fellow North Carolina product Antawn Jamison. Carter made his NBA debut in February 1999 and went on to average 18.3 points per game in his rookie season, winning the NBA Rookie of the Year award and immediately becoming the face of a still-young franchise.

"Vinsanity" and the 2000 dunk contest

Carter's second season cemented his stardom: he earned his first All-Star selection, averaged 25.7 points per game, and led Toronto to its first playoff appearance in franchise history. The defining moment of the "Vinsanity" era came at NBA All-Star Weekend in February 2000, where Carter — competing against his cousin and Raptors teammate Tracy McGrady — won the Slam Dunk Contest with a performance widely regarded as the greatest in the event's history, including a 360-degree windmill dunk and an off-the-bounce, between-the-legs slam never attempted in competition before.

A controversial trade

Carter's Toronto tenure soured after the Raptors missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons following his early peak, amid growing public friction between Carter and team management. On December 17, 2004, the Raptors traded Carter to the New Jersey Nets. The trade remains one of the most polarizing in Raptors history — simultaneously the end of the franchise's first true superstar era and the beginning of a rebuild that eventually led to the 2019 championship.

Sources

• Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame — Vince Carter
• Global News — A Timeline of Carter's History With Raptors