Alvin Williams

(teammates with the Toronto Raptors from 1998-2004)

“I remember when Vince first got drafted in 1998. That was my second year. But we were both sitting out because it was the lockout year and neither one of us had physically signed our contract [yet], so we really couldn’t practice at that time. So we were both riding the bike and stuff together and we would have little conversations.



But I also remember going to the mall early on with Vince and nobody knew who he was. And then about three weeks later I couldn’t go anywhere with Vince. Like, his fanfare and his recognition and his popularity just grew overnight. I’ve never seen anything like that. From going to the Eaton Centre with Vince, getting PlayStation [games], and like no one knew who he was, and then three weeks later I couldn’t even go anywhere with him.



So I just remember that transition of him being a normal person to a megastar. It started being like that in Toronto and then it went like that everywhere we went – Minnesota, Indiana, L.A., New York. It was just the craziest thing to be around. I was there pretty much when he was nothing – well, I won’t say nothing, but not popular – to one of the most popular people in the world.



A lot of people around the United States really took notice of him after the dunk contest, but in Canada it came pretty quickly. Once we started hitting the road, I remember seeing fans cry just to meet him. I mean he was a rock star. He was a rock star. It was unbelievable.”