Vince Carter watched his No. 15 Nets jersey rise to the Barclays Center rafters on Jan. 25. A cohort of former New Jersey Nets players, coaches and executives were in attendance. However, one former colleague was missing, and it was arguably the most influential to Carter's success: Jason Kidd.
Kidd could not attend the ceremony due to his coaching obligations with the Dallas Mavericks. The former Nets point guard was in Brooklyn to face his former team on Monday and reacted to seeing Carter's retired jersey alongside his.
“It’s really cool to see Vince, to see his number in the rafters. I think he means a lot to the Nets organization,” Kidd said. “The excitement. He made the game easy for myself. A lot of the lobs were probably bad passes that he turned into highlights. And so to see his name and number up there is really, really cool. And to say that I had the opportunity to play with the best is also an honor. So I’m happy to see that. I just wish I could’ve been here in person to celebrate with him and his family and friends.”
Jason Kidd reacts to seeing Vince Carter's No. 15 in the rafters at Barclays Center:
“It’s really cool… He means a lot to the Nets organization… He made the game easy for myself. A lot of the lobs were probably bad passes that he turned into highlights… To say that I had… pic.twitter.com/S9rPQ5bVnl
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) March 24, 2025
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Carter played nearly four seasons alongside Kidd after New Jersey acquired him from the Toronto Raptors in 2004. The pairing quickly became the most electrifying duo in Nets franchise history.
Jason Kidd reacts on Vince Carter's jersey retirement, Nets legacy
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Former NBA star Vince Carter watches with family members as his number is raised to the rafters during his jersey retirement ceremony at halftime of a game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Miami Heat at Barclays Center.
John Jones-Imagn Images
Carter finished his Nets tenure with three All-Star appearances, averaging 23.6 points and 4.7 assists per game on 45/37/81 shooting splits. He holds the franchise record for highest single-season scoring average (27.5 points per game) and ranks third on the team's all-time scoring list.
“A lot of it goes to Jason Kidd,” Carter said of his success during his jersey retirement press conference. “You have a guy who makes the game easier for you… You mean, all I have to do now is put the ball in the basket? I don't have to run around? I don't have to dribble around unless I need to? Oh, that's easy. That’s second nature. That’s what we all do. So he just took my game… he made the game easier for me. And then once I got comfortable in that role, I wanted to make the game easier for him. And it was amazing.”
Carter's Nets jersey retirement followed his Raptors jersey retirement in November and his induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in October.
Meanwhile, Kidd is leading a Mavericks squad that shook the NBA by trading Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a first-round pick at this year's deadline. Dallas has since lost Kyrie Irving to a torn ACL and is fighting to qualify for the Western Conference play-in tournament.