Vince Carter Receives Standing Ovation, Cries During Return to Toronto

Vince Carter's Memphis Grizzlies are playing in Toronto tonight, and for the first time since the Raptors traded the former Air Canada to the Nets in 2004, he was cheered. Carter has played 16 games in Toronto since the trade—including a playoff series in 2007—and in every single one of them he was vociferously booed. His first game back in 2005 was particularly brutal:

Raptors fans have always been mad at how he handled trade speculation in 2004, refusing to deny whether he or his agent had asked the Raptors for a trade. They also weren't happy with his answer to a question about whether he tried as hard as he could've in Toronto, given a month after the trade:

In years past, no. I was just fortunate enough to have the talent. You know, you get spoiled when you're able to do a lot of things and you see that, and you really don't have to work at it.

With the Raptors in first place in the East with their best team since the Carter days, it seems the fans are finally ready to move on.

h/t Amin Elhassan