Shortly after re-signing with the Atlanta Hawks this past off-season, Vince Carter announced that he will be retiring at the end of the 2019-20 season. It’s been expected for the last couple of years as he is now 43 and in year 22 of his career. The man has played in four different decades: the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s.

While it is still up in the air if March 11, 2020 was indeed his last NBA game (the same day the league took a hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic), there’s also one question that’s been lingering among the fans, players, and team executives: Why did he not try to close his career playing for a championship caliber-team?

Carter finally spoke on the matter recently. Here’s his statement, per Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated:

“[Ring chasing] just wasn’t my thing. It’s just something that I wasn’t interested in doing. I mean to be a part of a team where I feel like I can help out, and play some minutes, is what I wanted to do,”

“I just wanted to play. You know? Yes I could lend my wisdom, and be an unbelievable mentor for guy. But sometimes showing is better than telling. You know? What you’re talking about in game situations, or positioning. Whatever the case may be. So it was just kind of one of those things that I just didn’t want to do, and I don’t think I could handle. I would be miserable as a player. Just because I love competing. I mean, anybody who watches me play, I can’t just sit down and just watch the game.”

As you may remember, Carter began his career with the Toronto Raptors. He played in Canada from 1998-2004 and was a key figure in establishing the franchise’s presence in the league. His tenure with the Raps peaked in the 2001 playoffs, when they were just one win away from reaching the Eastern Conference Finals.

Vinsanity was then dealt to the New Jersey Nets in December of 2004, a team that went to the finals in 2002 and 2003. He formed an exciting trio with Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson, but they kept falling short as the mid-2000s were headlined by the Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat, and Cleveland Cavaliers.

In two of the three ensuing stops, Carter officially saw his prime years come to an end while playing for title contenders – the Orlando Magic in 2009, who was fresh-off a finals appearance, and the Dallas Mavericks in 2011, who just won a championship.

Carter remained with the Mavs until 2014 and then moved on to the Memphis Grizzlies. He only played one season under the true Grit N’ Grind era as the Grizzlies declined in the following years. After that, Carter chose to play with rebuilding teams Sacramento Kings and the Atlanta Hawks despite offers from contenders like the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors.

It’s great that a solid competitive spirit was in Carter’s blood all throughout his career, that he chose to consistently be in a rotation to play the game over riding the bench for an NBA title.

Still, with his great durability and well-deserved legacy as the greatest dunker in the history of the game, it would’ve been nice to witness Vinsanity get rewarded with a championship ring.