"It's the best feeling" - Vince Carter recollects Kobe Bryant's encouraging message to him before his retirement
Vince Carter had trouble with retiring from basketball because of his love for the game. Carter turned to Kobe Bryant for advice on the matter weeks before the latter's death. The 22-year veteran shared with Taylor Rooks what Bryant told him about retirement.
Carter explained that he didn't like the word "retiring," so he only announced that he was playing the last year of his career before the start of the 2019-20 season. He met Bryant during a game between the Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center.
Here's what the "Black Mamba" advised "Vinsanity" about retirement:
"I asked him about that word (retiring). How is it? He said, 'Man, it is the greatest thing ever, it's the best feeling. You're gonna enjoy it.
"This side is not that bad because I get a chance now to coach my daughter, be there for her.' I'm like, 'If Kobe Bryant, who we all know him to be a a-hole and a degenerate of this game can say that to me, I can say I'm retiring.'
Vince Carter was talking about the Dec. 21, 2019, game between the Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks. Carter was in his 22nd season in the league, breaking the record for the player with the most years in the league. He was also in his second season in Atlanta.
Unfortunately, it was also Kobe Bryant's final public appearance before his death along with his daughter Gigi and seven others in a helicopter crash in California. Coincidentally, Bryant's death happened on Carter's 43rd birthday.
Vince Carter's final season cut short by COVID-19
Vince Carter played his final NBA game on March 11, 2020, entering the game in the final seconds of the Atlanta Hawks vs. New York Knicks matchup.
The season was suspended following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Carter didn't have the opportunity to say goodbye, as the Hawks were not invited to the NBA bubble.
"Half-Man, Half-Amazing" officially announced his retirement from basketball on June 25, 2020, about a month before the season resumed. He began working as an analyst for ESPN after retiring, signing a three-year deal. He's now an analyst for the YES Network after ESPN didn't renew his contract.
In 22 seasons in the NBA, Carter holds the record for most years played in the league. He's also the only player to have played in four decades – 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s. He was drafted fifth overall by the Golden State Warriors in 1998 and played his final game in 2020.
Carter made his name as a member of the Toronto Raptors before becoming a journeyman.
He also played for the New Jersey Nets, Dallas Mavericks, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and the Atlanta Hawks. He will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame later this year.