Vince Carter shares secret behind 22-year NBA journey

Paul Mata

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Vince Carter shares secret behind 22-year NBA journey
The legendary Vince Carter holds the distinction of being the first NBA player to play in 4 different decades

ATLANTA, USA – Vince Carter will forever be remembered for several iconic moments in the NBA even if he may not get the fitting end to a legendary career with the coronavirus forcing a season suspension. 

Even Carter had a hard time recalling all those times. 

“Twenty-two years is a lot of moments…” Carter took a long pause to collect his thoughts.

“Draft night was interesting for me because I was traded immediately after for my college teammate, Antawn Jamison. So I was introduced to the business of basketball.”

“From there, I just kind of wanted to prove that I was worthy to be here.”

Arguably his most unforgettable moment was the 2001 Slam Dunk Contest, where he started getting massive attention from fans and the media. (READ: Vince Carter almost missed iconic 2000 Dunk Contest)

“When they say that it happened overnight, it literally happened overnight,” he said. 

“I went from missing my warm-ups to the dunk contest, to performing at the dunk contest, to holding that trophy, to meeting [Julius Erving] who was my hero in the back – [he was the] first person to congratulate me – to playing in the All-Star game on Sunday. Played well. And then Monday, it became just a different world for me as far as media attention, popularity. It was unreal.” 

Carter expressed gratitude to the numerous veterans he played with during his career, especially those early years with the Toronto Raptors, feeling their presence was essential for his growth as a player and a human being. 

Among them were Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Oakley, Kevin Willis, Doug Christie, Dee Brown and Antonio Davis, who were teammates with icons such as Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Reggie Miller. 

“As the game changed and it got faster, my knowledge of the game really just shined through,” said Carter. “I learned how to stay in front or tried to stay in front of these young guys now.”

Admittedly, Carter had to rely more on his knowledge of the game instead of his athletic ability as he got older. 

“I was flying high and putting so many shots, but I still didn’t know how to play the game.”

“The game now is faster, not as physical. But it is faster,” Carter said. “We have centers now shooting threes and doing it in the game. You don’t see the post up as I made a living as a post-up player. You don’t see that much.”

“I came in as a two guard. I’m playing now the four slash five sometimes. I just use my old-man strength sometimes.”

Surprisingly, the 43-year-old alumnus of University of North Carolina did not expect to play this long.

“Coming in the NBA, I had a target goal of 15 years,” he shared.

“I said, some of the elite players of the game played 12 to 14 years. I figured, if I could play 15 years, I would have accomplished something, as far as just playing, not even worry about trophies of any kind. If I could last 15 years, that would be a heck of a career.”

The next thing Carter realized, his career has spanned from a time when he was going up against Michael Jordan to mentoring Trae Young, one of the rising stars of the league.

He attributes that longevity to a tremendous work ethic and routine he had to maintain. 

“The one thing I tell everybody is my willingness to do whatever it is to stick around this long,” said Carter, the first NBA player to play in 4 different decades – 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s.

“Because if you look at the laundry list of things that I have to do to play each and every night to compete with guys that are 19, 20, to 22 years old, I have to get here early. But I’m willing to do it.”

“Sometimes, when I get home, I would do ice. I stretch in the morning real quick just to stay loose,” Carter shared.

“All these things I have to do. It’s my willingness to do it. I can give that list to any person out there, ‘Oh give me that list and I’ll do it.'”

“The point is with these 15 steps and you start to skip a few, and then you get to start to skip a few, and then you start to skip a few, and then the next thing you know, you’re not prepared, you’re not able to compete at this level. And that’s tough to do. That’s why I say it’s my willingness to really stick to that script.” – Rappler.com

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