Atlanta Hawks forward Vince Carter announced his retirement from the NBA.
After an exciting 22 years in the league, Atlanta Hawks forward Vince Carter announced his retirement from the NBA. The longtime NBA superstar did so on his podcast Winging It.
The former North Carolina Tar Heel played for four decades in the NBA, something that had never been done before.
In early life
His life began with an unexpected turn. He was selected fifth overall by the Golden State Warriors in the 1998 NBA Draft, drafted a few minutes later by the Toronto Raptors, to trade for his North Carolina teammate Antawn Jamison. As it turns out, moving north to Carter was the right choice, and he quickly earned the nickname “Air Canada” for his show-stopping dunks and gravity-defying acts.
The Dunker
He won the Slam Dunk Tournament title in 2000, upsetting some of the best dunkers of his era in one of the most memorable matches in league history. Here is a video with all his tons from that match.
He is also known for playing at the Olympics over France’s 7’2 Frederick Weiss, known as the “dunk of death”. Google “Vince Carter’s Best Dunks.” You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone better in the history of the game.
Vince Carter journey to retirement from the NBA
He quickly became a star to watch in the East, though he didn’t have much playoff success with the Raptors. After six seasons in Toronto, Carter was traded to the New Jersey Nets in the 2004-05 season.
He became known as “Vincentiality” after completing one of the most interesting top and bottom teams of the 2000s, along with Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson, and Kenyan Martin.
Carter worked with the Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks, where he reunited with former teammate Jason Kidd. He spent three years with the Memphis Grizzlies, one year with the Sacramento Kings, and the last two seasons with the Hawks.
Farewell to an NBA
Carter averaged 16.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.0 steals per game, flat numbers due to his longevity in the league. In his prime, he’s 20 points per night, capable of exploding at any time. His trademark blur jumper became a staple of his game in New Jersey, where he developed into an overall star with those solid Nets teams in the mid-2000s.
Although Vince Carter never won a championship before his retirement from the NBA or was honoured to be a league MVP, he was a respected player throughout his career. He went on to win the gold medal with Team USA at the 2004 Olympics, along with his numerous All-Star Game appearances.
Although he may not be in the top 25, Vince Carter will go down as one of the best who ever played this game. How he helped change the game, the time he spent in the league and what he did as an ambassador for basketball, should earn him a place in the NBA Hall-of-Fame.
