Toronto Blue Jays legend Joe Carter had some advice for recent NBA champion Kawhi Leonard: L.A. won鈥檛 love you like Toronto will.
Carter, who was part of both the baseball club鈥檚 1992 and 1993 World Series wins, said winning the first time meant 鈥渉aving your name enthralled in history for the rest of your entire life and thereafter.鈥�
Despite nearly three decades passing since he hit the pivotal home run in the 1993 win, Carter told CTV鈥檚 Your Morning, 鈥測our name can still be prominent in Canada.鈥�
But he said it likely would鈥檝e faded if he鈥檇 made the play on a team in another city full of sports stars, such as Los Angeles.
鈥淏ut (there鈥檚) something about being in Canada and bringing the first World [Series] championship outside of the U.S. in baseball to Canada,鈥� Carter said, adding that a similar feeling is likely washing over players on the Raptors鈥� squad.
The Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer said the team bringing home their first NBA championship 鈥渉as a great ring to it.鈥�
The Toronto Raptors recently won their first NBA championship and on Monday, the streets of the city were filled with a massive crowd of fans who turned out to cheer the team鈥檚 victory parade.
Leonard will officially become a free agent next month and he鈥檚 been quite silent on whether he intends on staying with the Raptors. But Carter hopes he 鈥渕akes the right decision鈥� because 鈥淭oronto is the place to be, baby."
鈥淭here are so many similarities between my career and what Kawhi is going through,鈥� he said, explaining that, like Leonard, he too was a free agent after winning the World Series.
He could have left after the Blue Jay鈥檚 first win in 鈥�92 and signed on with a higher profile team, but ultimately chose not to. At the time, Carter鈥檚 wife, children and family were living in Kansas City but he felt that 鈥渋t鈥檚 not always good to play where you live at.鈥�
鈥淚 had a dream and the Lord showed me that coming back to Toronto was what I needed to do,鈥� he said, adding that, 鈥淭oronto has become my second home.鈥�
He said, 鈥淭oronto was one of the best times of my entire life.鈥�
Since then, Carter has been a part of several philanthropic efforts, including his annual charity golf tournament, which is now in its 10th year.
The baseball star said he helped start the Joe Carter Classic Golf Tournament as way to 鈥済ive back to the community.鈥� Since it began, Carter estimates that $3 million has been raised for the Children鈥檚 Aid Foundation and other charities in the Greater Toronto Area.
鈥淚f we鈥檙e on the pedestal, why not make something great happen?鈥� he said. 鈥淚f we can give these kids some hope, I鈥檓 all for it.鈥�
