Vince Carter re-signed with the Atlanta Hawks last July and announced that he, at age 43, will be retiring at the end of the 2019-20 season. Since the Hawks are a young team in the middle of the re-build, making the playoffs was a long shot, and thus, everyone was prepared to see Carter’s career conclude on the last day of the regular season.
However, enter the deadly coronavirus/COVID-19. The pandemic unfortunately reached some of the players, leaving the NBA with no choice but to put the season into a screeching halt.
The games were suspended indefinitely on March 12, 2020, which meant that the Hawks’ 136-131 loss to the New York Knicks could very well be Carter’s last NBA game. As a nice, quick curtain call, the future Hall-of-Famer was inserted back in with just 19.5 seconds remaining and the game out-of-reach. He hit a three-pointer that sent the crowd into a frenzy.
While it was not bad for an impromptu farewell moment, it’s only right to also put together a list that runs down some of the best of Carter’s many career highlights. He’s the man, the myth, the legend, and quite possibly the best dunker that the game has ever seen.
#8 – Playing an NBA-record 22 seasons
Carter has played for eight teams across an NBA-record 22 seasons (Toronto Raptors, New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings, and Atlanta Hawks). He locked the feat on October 25, 2019, and broke the mark that was shared by Robert Parish, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, and Kevin Willis.
Vince is 19th all-time in scoring with 25,728 career points, and sixth all-time in made three-pointers with 2,290.
#7 – Guiding the Raptors to their first playoff series win
The Raptors first made the playoffs in 2000 through the rising duo of Carter and Tracy McGrady. Being the postseason neophytes that they are, though, the Raps got swept by the Knicks in the first round, 3-0.
McGrady left for the Orlando Magic in the ensuing season, and it piled a whole country’s basketball pride into Carter’s shoulders. He responded by averaging all-around numbers – 27.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.1 blocks – and leading Toronto to a decent 47-35 record. For his efforts, he earned a spot in the All-NBA Second Team.
They had a rematch with the Knicks in the first round of the 2001 Playoffs. Down 2-1 in the best-of-five series, Carter stepped up in the two elimination games, scoring 39 in Game 4 and 27 in the knockout Game 5 win at Madison Square Garden.
#6 – Sneaking the Nets into the 2005 Playoffs
The New Jersey Nets were a mess in the first few months of the 2004-05 campaign. They traded Kenyon Martin in the off-season and the Jason Kidd-Richard Jefferson tandem wasn’t getting the job done.
To bolster the squad, Vince was acquired in a blockbuster trade in December. He immediately put on a dunkfest and solid scoring barrage and raised it further when Jefferson went down with an injury.
Carter helped guide the Nets to a 15-4 record in their last 19 games to sneak the team into the eighth seed. He averaged 31 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.9 steals on 51% shooting over that span.
#5 – Throwing down a body-to-body dunk on Alonzo Mourning
Countless guys have been on the wrong side of a Vince Carter poster in the last 22 years, and Alonzo Mourning was unfortunately in one of the most memorable.
The dunk dates back to November 8, 2005, when they visited the Miami Heat. A lose ball bounced right into Carter’s vicinity and he wasted no taking it to the rim. In the paint, he met Zo, took the contact with his shoulder, seemingly posed while in mid-air, and then just stuffed a vicious slam.
#4 – Hitting a buzzer-beating game-winner against the Raptors
The exit from the Raptors wasn’t pretty to say the least, so his subsequent returns to Toronto saw him get showered with a chorus of boos and some relentless heckling.
He got them back with a couple of crazy plays but none was crazier than the one on January 9th, 2006. With only 7.2 seconds remaining, the Nets got the ball off a missed free throw while trailing by two points, 104-102. They had to scramble a play quick, and what they got was Carter stepping out to the three-point line for a potential game-winner. Relishing his villain role, he launched and sunk long trifecta for a go-ahead lead that left just 0.1 second on the clock. It was a great silencer to the rowdy crowd and a perfect icing to his game-high 42 points.
#3 – Dropping 50 points in the 2001 Playoffs
The 2001 Western Conference Semifinals series against Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers is one for the ages. Carter and Iverson simply traded explosive performances.
In Game 3, while AI is fresh-off a 54-point outburst, Vince put on a show and answered back by posting franchise playoff records 50 points and nine three-pointers. Both records still stand to this day.
#2 – Winning the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest
The hype that Carter had built up heading into the 2000 Slam Dunk contest was almost scary. He has established himself as the most exciting player in the league thanks to consistently providing highlight reel dunks for the previous 13 months. He had to deliver. Everyone was holding their breaths for Vinsanity.
Since he’s an athletic freak and an all-time showman, though, Vinsanity ensued with no trace of pressure. He lived up to the hype and more as he showcased an array of astonishing dunks.
Vince took home the hardware with the final round being a mere formality. He became a household name that day.
#1 – Jumping over 7’2 Frederic Weis in the 2000 Olympics
Carter cleared a seven-footer like it was nothing. No words may do this iconic play justice. It’s simply the most disrespectful dunk of all-time.
Weis was drafted 15th overall by the Knicks in the 1999 NBA Draft but never signed with the team. Some even suggest that it might be because of the slam – after all, it was ‘The Dunk of Death.’
People often joke about ending opponents’ careers. Not many people get to actually pull it off.
