Vince Carter reminisces about childhood dunk ambitions during Hall of Fame weekend
Vince Carter is set to be enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Sunday in Springfield, Massachusetts. Carter spoke to the press on Saturday to open the Hall of Fame weekend, discussing his childhood and ambitions to win the Slam Dunk contest.
The legend's most iconic moment was his performance in the 2000 Slam Dunk contest in Oakland. He explained to reporters how his mother allowed him to record previous Slam Dunk contests on VHS, inspiring him to pursue them later. He even practiced winning the competition and how he would celebrate with the trophy.
"My mom would allow me to stay up late to record the dunk contest," Carter said.
"All-Star weekend is great, but we all know it's nothing like Saturday night. I would record those on the VHS tape and watch them. ... I started practicing, shaking hands with David Stern, and working on holding that trophy up with a smile."
Vince Carter not only won the Slam Dunk contest but also cemented himself as one of the greatest dunkers in NBA history. However, Carter didn't make the Hall of Fame just because he could dunk. He's also one of the most talented players ever, averaging 16.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.0 steals per game in his 22-year career.
Carter was a 20-point scorer from his second season with the Toronto Raptors until his final year in New Jersey in 2009. He was named an All-Star eight straight times from 2000 to 2007.
He then became a journeyman for the second half of his career, playing for teams like the Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and the Atlanta Hawks.
Apart from his career, Carter's impact on basketball in Canada cannot be understated. He made the sport popular in the country and even inspired many current NBA stars from up north, like Andrew Wiggins, Tristan Thompson, Kelly Olynyk and more.
Kevin Garnett hyped up Vince Carter ahead of 2000 Slam Dunk Contest
Before the 2000 Slam Dunk contest, Vince Carter underwent surgery on his right middle finger that almost jeopardized his participation. Carter was understandably nervous ahead of the event, but Kevin Garnett helped him get hyped and ready.
"(Kevin Garnett) probably hyped me up from afar," Carter said, according to ESPN. "Because I remember walking out on the court, got the ball, nervous, hands, a little sweaty.
"I had just had surgery on my middle finger, so if you go back, you see my finger is taped up. I see all the guys I either played college ball with or against or in the pros and the excitement on these professional superstars' faces for what I was going to do."
Garnett also had a hyped-up reaction when Carter dunked over Frederic Weiss several months later at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.