Former Toronto Raptors stars Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady questioned whether the franchise should retire Kawhi Leonard's jersey during a recent interview with GQ published on May 19, 2026.
The discussion began when GQ interviewer Yang-Yi Goh asked the duo about potential future honorees, specifically mentioning Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, and Leonard.
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"Kyle Lowry seems to be the next in line for that honor. Are there any other Raptors who you feel are deserving?"
Goh asked.
McGrady immediately interjected when Leonard was brought up as a candidate. "Kawhi?"
he said.
Carter suggested another former teammate as a more suitable candidate. "Possibly DeMar," he said.
McGrady doubled down on his disbelief. "Kawhi??"
he responded.
The interviewer noted that Leonard's single championship-winning season in Toronto was a major milestone for the franchise.
"One season! No, no.
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Thank you, Kawhi, but it wasn't even a full season," McGrady said.
Carter acknowledged the unique nature of Leonard's brief stint but emphasized DeRozan's contributions.
"It's crazy to hear the story about him not wanting to go there and still having a magical season, and he deserves to be recognized somehow," Carter said.
He further explained that DeRozan established the foundation for the team prior to their championship run.
"But I just feel like DeMar deserves to be up there before that, because of the groundwork he put in prior to that," Carter said.
The conversation shifted toward how much the Toronto franchise has evolved since Carter and McGrady played together in Canada.
"I mean, we're talking 20-something years later, times are way different now than it was back then," McGrady said.
McGrady recalled the early days when players had to travel far outside the city center to practice. "But now, I mean, you got Drake involved.
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You got the infrastructure that's been built downtown … My first year, we were driving like 30 minutes, 40 minutes outside the city to go to Scarborough for practice, because our practice facility wasn't built yet," he said.
