“After retirement I’ve gotten soft” - Vince Carter hilariously shares candid sentiments amid Brooklyn Nets retiring his jersey

North Carolina basketball standout Vince Carter is enjoying a remarkable year, and his accolades have grown even more impressive with the recent announcement from the Brooklyn Nets. They revealed their intention to retire his jersey number, No. 15, and commemorate his legacy by hanging it in the rafters during the upcoming season.

This announcement adds another fitting layer of celebration to Carter's illustrious NBA career. With his imminent induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame scheduled for August, the timing couldn't be more perfect.

Throughout the week, the Nets tantalized fans with hints before finally unveiling their decision to retire Carter's jersey through a poignant tribute video shared across their social media platforms.

Carter was asked during the OKC Thunder-Dallas Mavericks Game 5 broadcast on his reaction to finding out about the news, to which he candidly replied:

"That's crazy, that's crazy man. After retirement I've gotten soft."

During his remarkable 22-season NBA career, Vince Carter left an indelible mark, but it was his tenure with the Toronto Raptors and the then-New Jersey Nets – now the Brooklyn Nets – that truly defined his legacy.

Arguably, Carter's prime reached its pinnacle during his stint with the Nets, notably in the 2004-2005 season. That year stands out as one of his finest, with impressive averages of 27.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.

His tenure with the Nets was transformative, as his electrifying dunking prowess not only filled the stat sheet but also propelled him to become a household name. The iconic No. 15 Nets jersey from the 2000s era became a staple in closets across the nation, irrespective of one's team allegiance.

Vince Carter’s iconic moment with Brooklyn Nets

In the fiercely competitive landscape of the mid-2000s Eastern Conference, particularly within the Atlantic Division, the battle for playoff berths was intense, marked by the New Jersey Nets' relentless pursuit amid a season of fluctuating fortunes.

Maintaining a steady presence around the .500 mark, the Nets fiercely contested for mid-tier positions in the conference playoff standings. In a crucial late-season matchup against the Washington Wizards, Vince Carter asserted his dominance early on, igniting the game with an explosive 17-point first quarter.

This performance was just a glimpse of his overall impact, as he went on to achieve a triple-double, one of two during the 2006-07 season. Carter's stellar 46-point, 16-rebound, 10-assist display was complemented by Jason Kidd's own impressive triple-double of 10 points, 16 rebounds and 18 assists, propelling the Nets to a hard-fought, 120-114 overtime victory against the Wizards.

This triumph set the stage for another dramatic playoff push as the Nets clinched the Eastern Conference's sixth seed by winning five of their final six games.