33 Comments
User's avatar
John D's avatar

Everybody is wrong. He shouldn’t have said it. Vince shouldn’t have had him kicked out. And it’s a joke that the team retired his jersey

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Sasha's avatar

Lol I have the exactly opposite opinion. I'm glad he said it, and have no issue with him getting kicked out.

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Skytime's avatar

this is a strong take, and one i rather enjoy

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Jakotak's avatar

While I would love to side Norm here, it’s the guy’s jersey retirement ceremony.

It’s like going to your boss’s retirement party and bringing up how he screwed you over on OT

It’s like going to a graduation party and bringing up how the grad used Chat GPT for a project

It’s like going to your uncle’s funeral and mentioning how he cheated on his wife in front of the open casket.

Anyway if it was any other time, I’d be fine with Norm, but Vince was being honored by the team. So not that night

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Sherman Alexie's avatar

This has me laughing. Sure, the players are coddled. But fans also cross social barriers and boundaries as if they're on a Reddit forum instead of being in a real life place with real life consequences. The dude saying he "didn't get personal" with Vince Carter, as if calling him a lifelong quitter isn't personal as hell! We sports fans can be so entitled. This reminds me of the old Bill Burr bit about The Malice in the Palace.

https://youtu.be/atvQe5HHcoA?si=JJRpjhQL_2SDuzfg

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Jimmy Hoffa's avatar

He wouldn’t try that shit with Jerry Stackhouse that’s for sure (IYKYK).

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CM's avatar

Stack would've beat his ass lol

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Drew's avatar

Simmons writing that article and then giving Vince a podcast is a microcosm of going from the wilderness to being an institution.

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Jimmy Hoffa's avatar

Most important night of his life my ass, probably not even his most important Jersey retirement (though his number isn’t retired at UNC, it’s in the rafters as an “honored” number)

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CM's avatar

Vince is kinda soft for that but there also repercussions for being an asshole. You can say what you want but if someone has the ability to get you out of there, then so be it

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TheEMart's avatar

Taking any shot at someone on the way back from the washroom is different than booing them on the court. Fan is in the wrong here, but it’s embarrassing for Carter to ask to have him removed. And also embarrassing for the Raptors to have retired a jersey of a guy who spurned them but didn’t win anything while in town. At least when they do it for Kawhi (who also bolted), there will be a ring involved!

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Drewski's avatar

What are we doing here. U can’t yell at an athlete in the hall and expect not to get kicked out. Cmon man.

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Shariq's avatar

Subscriber Norm was wrong, but he missed a beat by not saying that Vince's graduation was the most important night of his life

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Tom's avatar

It's 100% his right as fan to heckle the players as much as he wants (within the law). This is like the first amendment of being a sports fan: you get to boo the players when they do a bad job because you are, effectively, their boss. They are there to serve you and the city writ large. The shift away from this is equivalent of a shift from the government working for the taxpayer to a world where the taxpayer works for the government. In other words, tyranny!

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Nikki Swango's avatar

Of course he shouldn't have been. NBA players have forgotten that they are just entertainers. They act like it's a chore to play basketball. Literally the only reason they make as much money they do is b/c of basketball fans. And yes, like any other job, there are some annoying things that come with being an NBA player, like dealing with the media or a fan calling you a quitter or whatever. Boo hoo, you baby.

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Richard Kimbel's avatar

Gotta ask, did Subscriber Norm say how much he blew on that ticket and was it worth it to speak his mind?

Anyways, I've always thought of Vince Carter as the Donald Trump of the NBA: both had successful starts to their careers, then became hated by quitting and being a sore loser until finally hanging around long enough to become beloved in the end.

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Tom's avatar

Somewhat describes the Kobe arc too (outside of LA)

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Martin Blank's avatar

His dad's ticket it sounded like.

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Joshua Pressman Jacobs's avatar

Was it worth the money to go to that game just to tell VC off ?

Imagine how much those tickets would have went for on the open market.

It’s ironic that this is what I’m thinking about , but it speaks to how much money the NBA is now making and how expensive it is to see a live game.

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Paul's avatar

In fairness, it's the same result if you insult an oil sheik or Russian oligarch (the folks whose remuneration RG has compared to that of NBA players). The really rich and only quasi-deserving are often thin skinned.

As are most of the really rich and deserving actually. Rich people just don't like taking shit in general, and immunity from plebs giving them shit is one of the first things many of them purchase with their wealth.

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Skytime's avatar

I'd back Norm if it wasn't Vince Carter's jersey retirement + "loudly said you're a quitter" + doubled down.

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Peter Cheng's avatar

I don't understand people like Norm. If you behave like an asshole, why are you surprised when people treat you like one?

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