Made with Thimble

1998 Draft

With the Raptors finishing the 1997/98 season with a 16-66 record, they were a sure lottery pick contender. They clinched the 4th pick in the draft and chose Antown Jamson, a forward from North Carolina with a very solid statline. However, an unlikely occurrence took place when the Raptors immediately traded him for the 5th pick, Vince Carter, a college sensation who won player of the week once and player of the month twice while averaging 12.3, 4.5 and 1,9.

(Vince Carter on the left and Antown Jamison on the right)

The Birth of Vinsanity

As soon as Vince Carter stepped on the court, he was a major influence and flipped the Toronto Raptors around. Just like Stoudamire, Vince Carter was a fan favorite and won the rookie of the year award, averaging even better in the NBA with 18.3 points, 3.0 assists and 5.7 rebounds.

The 1998/99 season was an eventful one. The raptors had their best season to date winning 46% of their games. The addition of Carter, as well as veteran Charles Oakley were major impacts to the Raptors success that year. At the end of their final game that season, Vince promised the crowd a trip to the playoffs.

The 1999/2000 Season

The 1999-2000 was a very important Raptors season as it demonstrated for the first time, a developing and soon maybe lethal NBA team. At the beginning of the season, The Raptors acquired Muggsy Bogues (shortest NBA player ever), as well as 3-pt specialist Dell Curry to continue to create a well rounded Raptors team. Tracy Mcgrady on the Raptors was also beginning to make a name for himself as a rising star in the league. As well, Vince Carter continuing to be a strong young role model.

All-Star Break

The NBA All-Star competitions are a way to showcase player’s talents and that is exactly what Vince Carter accomplished in the 2000 Slam Dunk Competition. He exhibited dunks that had never even been seen from that point and changed the way the sport was looked at forever. From his reverse windmill 360, to his through the legs and elbow dunk, each dunk was iconic and immediately found a place in NBA history. He won the Dunk contest with little competition.

Reverse Windmill 360

Through The Legs

Elbow Dunk

The End of Regular Season and Short Playoff Run

At the end of the regular season, Vince Carter averaged 25.7 ppg and the Raptors had a record of 47-37 allowing them to be eligible for the playoffs for the first time. Unfortunately, they got swept by the knicks in the first round.

The 2000/2001 Season

The 2000/2001 season was an eventful season for Raptor fans. The Toronto Raptors came in with high hopes of again, making the playoffs and soon after, Vince Carter and Antonio Davis were chosen to be all-stars each for the first time. With Vince Carter averaging 27.1 pts/g, Antonio Davis averaging 13.7 pts/g, and other role players doing their part, the Raptors finished their regular season with a 47-35 record (2nd in the NBA central division). This meant they were eligible for the playoffs for a second year in a row.

(Eastern Conference All-Stars)

In the first round of the 2001 NBA playoffs, the Raptors were matched with the Knicks once again, yet the opposite outcome took place when the Raptors knocked out the 4th seed NY Knicks after trailing 2-1. This was the first time the knicks had been kicked from the 1st round of the playoffs since 1991. The Raptors then went off to the Eastern Conference semifinals where they faced their biggest test, the Philadelphia 76ers

With a prime Allen Iverson leading the team, it was a healthy matchup for the Toronto Raptors. AI and Vinsanity put up a show for the ages, Iverson scored 2 50+ games while Carter scored 1 50pt game and 2 35+ games.

Unfortunately, the Raptors lost in game 7 of the series with a final result of 4-3 for Philadelphia. They lost in game 7 by only a point.