J
Jasen Lee
Guest
ATLANTA — First there was Dr. J — the man who revolutionized playing above the rim and the first true master of the slam dunk. Next there was Air Jordan, who made basketball an art form and created a global phenomenon with his high-flying acrobatics that took the dunk to the next level.
Then there was Vinsanity, who blew the doors off of what we thought was possible with dunks that had never been seen before, creating jaw-dropping moments that will never be forgotten and forever etching the name and image of Vince Carter on the Mount Rushmore of all-time dunking icons. Oh — and he could play, too.
Over 22 seasons, Carter, a 10-time All-Star selection, has made an indelible impression on the league and a generation of fans that will last forever. Since coming into the National Basketball Association, he averaged at least 20 points 11 times, and was a double-digit per game scorer for 20 straight seasons with eight teams in a career that spanned three different decades beginning in 1998. Before the start of the current season, Carter announced that this would be his last campaign.
“It’s easy to say what people remember — (being an) elite dunker and all that — that’s going to take care of itself. My body of work will speak for itself.” — Vince Carter
His career has been filled with numerous accomplishments, including 1998-99 NBA Rookie of the Year, scoring more than 25,000 points, playing in more than 1,500 games (among the top 5 all-time), his historic performance in becoming the 2000 NBA Slam Dunk Champion, an array of clutch and game-winning, buzzer-beating shots, along with the admiration of a legion of fans who consider him one of the most exciting players of his era.
On the Jazz’s most recent trip to Atlanta, Carter, who is in his second year with the Hawks, spoke with the Deseret News about his career and recalled one of his fondest memories of playing in Utah while playing with the New Jersey Nets. It was January 29, 2007 in Salt Lake City in a close game that came down to the wire and would end in dramatic fashion thanks to late-game heroics from Carter.
“About (six) seconds left in the game, we take the ball out (of bounds) from under the basket. I was taking my time up the court and I remember Mikey Moore was setting the screen on Matt Harpring. It had been a battle. It had always been a battle with Matt Harpring for many years. I remember crossing over half court kind of left to right and I was probably two or three steps past half court and took the shot,” he explained. “I just felt comfortable shooting and it went in. I just remember doing a wave because it had just been back and forth with Matt and I get into getting into it. It’s how he played, very aggressive and it was just a battle — typical basketball back in that time, Utah basketball.”
His time in the league is filled with such moments, beginning soon after he was drafted No. 5 overall in ’98 from North Carolina. In the early years in the NBA, he was frequently compared to fellow Tar Heel alum Michael Jordan for this high-flying athleticism and prolific scoring. During his time in Toronto, one of his early nicknames was ‘Air Canada,’ but he would eventually carve out his own identity and become a star in his own right, amassing many signature moments.
These days, at 42, he’s comfortable with his status as a veteran role player who uses his 20-plus years of experience in the league to mentor young players in the early stages of their NBA journey.
“I just want to play. I just want opportunity to play basketball. It’s easy to be on anyone’s team and sit on the bench (to) enjoy and lead from here, but I still felt like I had something to offer on the court and there was an opportunity here,” he explained. “I wasn’t trying to play big minutes, I knew that was not a possibility for most teams, I just want to go out there and compete and still help these young guys develop and grow.”
The current Hawks roster includes 10 players with less than five years in the league. In his role as veteran leader, he spends lots of time noting the finer points of the game to young men who are just beginning to learn and understand the principles of the pro game since many have spent little time in the college game learning more of the fundamentals as he did years ago.
“It’s just different scenarios that we go through and talked about with different players, whether it’s like a defensive scheme or offensive positioning, ball placement — a lot of things just to visualize and to see,” he said. “That’s just kind of what I wanted to do and how I feel like I could still help these guys.”
He said the players have been receptive to his knowledge and counsel.
“The coaching staff allows me to do so and they can continue to encourage me to stay in these guys’ ears and to help them out. I have nothing to gain but to see these guys as successful as they want to become,” he said. “We have a lot of talented guys with a lot of upside, so the faster we can get them on a fast track, the better they become quickly.”
While he may consider coaching one day down the road after his playing days are done, it is not something he wants to think about in his early days of retirement. Instead, he has his priorities set on becoming a broadcaster. It is something he has already begun dabbling in the past few years during the off-season.
As for his career in basketball, he wants to be remembered for his passion for playing the game that’s consumed him since childhood.
“I love to play it. I was willing to do anything to stay around this league as long as possible,” Carter said.
“You just have to figure out how to be effective — trying to knock down shots, be a ball mover, be a solid defender and use my voice as a veteran on the court, on the sideline or whatever. Just doing for my team when I’m out there,” he said. “My goal is always, ‘Don’t hurt the team, help the team — whatever that means.’”
He said making the move from long-time starter to coming off the bench took some time, but it is something he grew to accept and appreciate as he advanced in age during his career.
“It is a tough adjustment, but I watched (film of) some of the great players who came off the bench and did it best — Vinnie Johnson, (Manu) Ginobili, Jason Terry — those are the guys I watched first,” he explained. “Once I kind of figured it out, it was easier to accept. It’s a shock to your ego at first, I guess but at the same time, if you can accept it, you’ll be fine. I was able to accept it, embrace it, take off with it and have some success, which I think is still keeping me around.”
With so many accolades over such a long period of time, Carter’s career is certainly worthy of Hall of Fame consideration. Whether he is inducted is a different story. Observers may be mixed on whether he should be enshrined because he never won a league title — Carter reached the Eastern Conference Finals with the Orlando Magic in 2010 but never played in the NBA Finals.
Carter said no matter what, he is satisfied with how his career has played out. For a person whose early ambition was to play 15 years as a pro, he has been able to accomplish that objective and so much more.
“Obviously, I wanted a championship, which is every player’s dream and aspiration. But for some reason in my mind, I wanted to be in the NBA 15 years. I looked at some of our greatest players, or Hall of Famers, and they played 12 or 14 years, so I figured if I played 15 years, I’ll have a shot,” Carter said.
At some point after retirement has set in, he said he’ll think more about one day being up for induction. For now, he’s busy soaking up all the joy he can from being in the NBA doing what he loves so much — content with the legacy he will leave.
“It’s easy to say what people remember — (being an) elite dunker and all that — that’s going to take care of itself. My body of work will speak for itself,” Carter said.
Full Story from the Deseret News...