The director of The Carter Effect talks making a movie about the rise of the Toronto Raptors

By Baraka Kaseko, Marah Eakin | April 20, 2018 | 3:15pm

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It’s a good time to be a Toronto Raptors fan. The NBA’s sole Canadian franchise finished the regular season with the second-best record in the league, and Vegas oddsmakers place them as the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference. But things weren’t always this great. The franchise was founded back in 1995, and for its first couple seasons, was the laughing stock of the NBA; no self-respecting star wanted to make a career in Toronto.

That changed in 1998 when the Raptors traded for Vince Carter, whose presence in Toronto didn’t just propel the team to its first playoff appearance, but also changed the culture in Toronto. Director Sean Menard, with the help of executive producer Drake, made a movie about it called The Carter Effect. In the video above, we spoke with Menard about the film and its inspiration.