Although the Toronto Raptors have been an NBA franchise since 1995, the organization has yet to give one of its players the highest honour.
A handful for individuals — Vince Carter. Chris Bosh and DeMar DeRozan being the few that come top of mind — have done big things for the franchise over the last 24 years. However, nobody has done enough in the eyes of the organization to have their jersey retired.
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ESPN’s Jalen Rose, who played parts of three seasons for the Raptors in the mid-2000’s, believes last season’s Finals MVP deserves to be the first.
“We’ve seen guys get video tributes that was questionable. The boss move? Retire his number that day, ” Rose said about what should be done when Kawhi Leonard returns to Toronto as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers on his show Jalen & Jacoby recently.
“Kawhi did something uniquely special,” he later added when questioned by his co-host, David Jacoby. “You give him a standing ovation and you retire his number when he returns.”
Leonard travels north of the border with his new squad on Dec. 11.
The fact that a healthy debate can be had on the topic despite the fact Board Man only played 84 games for the team (60 in the regular season, 24 in the playoffs) is a testament to what he accomplished in his single campaign with Toronto.
As Rose mentions, there are other Raptors that people may feel are more deserving of a jersey retirement due to their longevity and production while with the team. Yet, none of them were able to accomplish what Leonard did.
The 28-year-old averaged a mind-boggling 39.1 minutes, 30.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per game during Toronto’s postseason run to the Larry O’Brien Trophy. All of those values were careers-highs and just some of the quantifiable data behind one of the greatest single-season performances in the history of professional sports.
Whether or not that justifies the threads of Leonard’s No. 2 going into the rafters at Scotiabank Arena — during the upcoming season or down the road — is yet to be seen.
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