- Former Toronto Raptors’ star Vince Carter retired yesterday.
- He spent 22 seasons in the league, becoming one of the most recognized players in the world.
- Carter’s impact on the game is way more than being recognized as a terrific dunker.
After 22 Seasons Carter Says Goodbye
The Toronto Raptors and the NBA legend, Vince Carter retired this Thursday after 22 years of playing basketball as a professional. Air Canada as the fans called him, left a huge trace in the game, and is considered to be one of the most influential players ever.
Arguably, the greatest dunker in the history of the game, revealed his decision during the Ringer’s podcast show “Winging it With Vince Carter.”
“I’m officially done playing basketball professionally,” Carter said, causing numerous reactions all over the media and the world.
With 22 seasons played, he is the only player to last that long in the league, surpassing numerous legends who marked eras of the NBA.
His start was way back in the 98/99 season, which was also shortened like the one in which he retired. Back then, it was because of the lock-out, and now, COVID-19 prevented the normal ending of the campaign.
“It’s kind of a cool situation for me because I came into the league on a shortened season, and I walk away from the league on a shortened season,” Carter stated regarding his unusual destiny. “So, for me, it’s just kind of a unique situation.”
Toronto Raptors picked Carter at the 1998 NBA draft as the fifth overall, coming from North Carolina, and they immediately got the franchise player everyone dreams about. Carter was the unstoppable force, which made the Raptors one of the most enjoyable teams to watch in the NBA.
Carter’s Fantastic Career
During his stay in Canada, Carter became a two-time All-NBA and won the famous NBA Slam Dunk contest in 2000. In general, he was voted to be an All-Star on 8 occasions, five times while in Toronto. He also won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 1999, posting 18.3 points and 5.7 boards in his first year as a pro.
His dunks were something never seen before, and everybody remembers the moment at the Olympic Games in Sydney, once he jumped over 7-foot-2 French center Frederic Weis.
After Toronto, Carter played for the New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings, and the Atlanta Hawks.
The Hawks landed the veteran star whose role in the team was supposed to be focused on helping the youngsters grow up and develop properly. However, Carter did have some impact on the floor, setting several records among which being the oldest player to score 20 or more points, and after that became the first 40+year player who spent more than 45 minutes in the game. Being a natural freak, this was something only Carter could do, but unfortunately, his career had to end at some point.
The entire crew of our website wishes happy retirement to one of the guys who took the Canadian basketball to another level. We’ll miss you “Air Canada.”
