“Next Jordan”: Celtics ‘08 duo claims Vince Carter was next
Vince Carter was one of the most electrifying athletes to ever lace up a pair of sneakers. His performance during the 2000 NBA Slam Dunk Contest ranks as one of the best of all time, and he used the same athleticism and finishing ability to put up some of the best highlights that the league has ever seen.
Not only was Carter an incredible dunker, but he was also a prolific scorer from anywhere on the court. He was a decent shooter from downtown, and at the height of his career, defenders struggled to contain him.
He had one of the most memorable NBA careers, especially because of the amount of highlights he produced, and recently, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce discussed just how great he was.
"Vince Carter was supposed to be the poster boy with Kobe Bryant," Pierce said. "He was supposed to lead us into the post-Michael Jordan era. ... He was supposed to be the next Jordan.
"He was a nightmare. That was the one (and) only player that I felt like I was on an island with no water, no food, and my clothes were dirty. I've been out there for, like, 10 days. That's what I felt like when you were on that isolation with Vince Carter because when you're not playing against him and you see those highlights and you come home. You're like 'damn!' for, like, a good 10 minutes."
Also read: “If he had the mindset of Kobe”: Gilbert Arenas sounds off on Vince Carter for not maximizing his ‘GOAT’ potential.
Looking back at Vince Carter's 22-year NBA career
Vince Carter is the only player to have stayed in the league for 22 seasons. He started his long and storied career with the Toronto Raptors, but he was drafted by the Golden State Warriors as the fifth pick in 1998 before being traded on draft night.
From his first year, he showed everyone that he was going to be a problem. He averaged 18.3 points on his way to the Rookie of the Year Award. He developed into a near-unstoppable scorer by his second season, earning his first of eight straight All-Star selections from 2000-2007.
He was traded to the New Jersey Nets in the 2004-05 season where he got to play with Jason Kidd. However, Carter's scoring numbers would start to decline, and in 2008-09, he would average over 20 points per game for the last time.
He was traded to the Orlando Magic in 2009 to form a dynamic duo with Dwight Howard. They reached the Eastern Conference finals, where they fell to the Boston Celtics 4-2.
He was once again traded to the Phoenix Suns where he provided valuable veteran leadership. He went on to provide the same experience to the Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and finally, the Atlanta Hawks. He retired after the NBA season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.