John Bazemore / Associated Press
Vince Carter confirmed Thursday that he is officially retired from basketball after a successful 22-year NBA career.
Carter removed all doubts about his condition during an appearance on The Ringer’s Improvising podcast:
#Thank youVincio @ @ringernba
After 22 years, Vince Carter has announced his retirement. #WingingItPod complete: https://t.co/rZcsbBRXQ1 https://t.co/0YT8F2Poc5
“I officially finished playing basketball professionally,” he said.
The 43-year-old spent his 22nd season and NBA Finals with the Atlanta Hawks in 2019-20. Because the Hawks are out of the playoffs, they weren’t invited to end the season in Orlando, Florida. Thus, the Hawks’ season and Carter’s career are over.
While Carter didn’t know for sure at the time, he tripled the final shot of his career in a 136-131 overtime loss to the New York Knicks on March 11. The game was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic after that game.
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Carter played sparingly in 2019-20 and averaged 5.0 points and 14.6 minutes per game, but served as a mentor and positive veterans influence for the younger players on the list.
The eight-time All-Star bounced often during the second half of his career with stops as a member of the Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and Hawks. However, he will be best remembered for his seven seasons with the Toronto Raptors and five seasons with the New Jersey Nets.
Carter won the 1999 NBA Rookie of the Year Award after being selected fifth in the 1998 North Carolina NBA Draft. He was named an All-Star in six of his seven seasons in Toronto and averaged 23.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.
He remained productive after a trade with the Nets, averaging 23.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists. He never played in the NBA Finals, but he helped lead the Raptors and Nets to the playoffs three times each during his tenure.
Carter ranks third on the NBA all-time list with 1,541 regular-season games played, and is 19th on the NBA all-time scoring list with 25,728 points, making him a strong Hall of Fame candidate.
Overall, he averaged 16.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game during his career.
His longest lasting impact on the game may be the “Vinsanity” craze that emerged early in his career thanks to his reel dunks and exciting gameplay.
Carter won the Nunk Slam Dunk 2000 contest dramatically and executed what many consider to be the biggest dunk in basketball history at French center Frederic Weis during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. He was part of the United States team gold medal team.
While Carter played a minor role during the second half of his career and stayed for the love of the game, there were few better scorers and athletes in the NBA during his prime.
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