Happy Retirement Vince Carter and Thanks for the Memories

After 22 years Vince Carter officially retired from the NBA this more.

He said, "I'm officially done".

I have always been a fan of his. There were times that I rooted for other players, wanted his team to get beat, I was not a fan when he was in college, but things changed over time for me. I have a distinct memory, as I am sure most NBA fans do, of the dunk contest that Carter entered and won going away. I don't remember when Jordan and Dominique went head to head, I am too young for Dr J's stuff and while Aaron Gordon and Zach Lavine have put on some shows in recent years, the dunk contest Carter won was the most spectacular thing I have ever witnessed as a basketball fan. The reverse 360, the elbow in the rim, the bounce off the side of the hoop, it was all amazing and all new to me. He then went on to the Olympics and dunked all over Frederic Weis. I only know Weis' name because Carter ended him. He literally jumped over him and made the poster to end all posters. I had a picture of that on my wall, and I know a good group of my friends did too. That was when the fandom started for me. It was the dunk contest, then ending Weis. I have always been a fan of more thunderous dunkers. Guys that would dunk, and dunk hard. I loved seeing Shaq pull down rims. Daryl Dawkins is an icon dunker to me. I am, and always will be, a big time Shawn Kemp fan, he is my all time favorite player in fact, and that is because of his incredible dunks. Carter was able to do that, but also put some finesse into it. He was like a mixture of Dawkins and George Gervin with the way he would dunk. He would do these incredible twists and turns and loops and throw it down with authority.

I started liking him more and more after the dunk contest when he was in Toronto. When he moved on to the Nets I cooled a bit, but that was because I was naive at why he changed teams. Toronto wasn't going to do much to help him. They weren't going to compete for a championship, and Carter knew it. He figured the Nets were his best shot. And he had chances. He played on some good teams. Teams that made deep playoff runs. But they couldn't quite get over the top. This was also when Carter's game started to evolve. He was still doing magnificent things in the air, but he also started to work on his jumper, try a bit on defense and become more of a team guy. This made my fandom grow even more. After his tenure in New Jersey, he became a journeyman of sorts. He would go to young teams and kind of be a mentor, but also he could still play. He was still a contributor. He spent a season in Orlando, the next in Phoenix, then three years with the Mavericks, when his jumper became a real threat, three more seasons in Memphis, two in Sacramento and his last two years in Atlanta. Watching him play when he went to Memphis, then Sacramento and then Atlanta, he played into his 40's, he still contributed and you could see the love of the game. He didn't want to leave. Father time is undefeated, but Carter fought it more successfully than a lot of pro athletes.

What made me like Carter more near the end was his attitude. He didn't go to these places and demand things. He didn't go with an ego. It was like I said before, he wanted to play and he wanted to help the new generation of NBA players. I bet you dollars to donuts than a player like Trae Young loved having him on his team. I guarantee he helped John Collins a ton when he got wrongfully suspended. I'm sure Lloyd Pierce loved having him on the court as a "coach" on the floor. Carter became a beloved figure in the NBA, and that is rad.

Do not get it twisted, Carter was the man in his early days, and I think he is a first ballot hall of famer. While he may not have a ring, and I think it rules that he didn't chase one, he was an 8 time all star, twice on an all NBA team and won the rookie of the year award. He was also an All American in college. He was a lottery pick that lived up to the hype. He has a gold medal. He is an important and prominent figure within the NBA. Honestly, I'd rather have his career than super star guys like Carmelo Anthony or Tracy McGrady, who I love also, and is his cousin or James Harden. Vince Carter was steady, at times dominant, one of the most athletic players to ever play and, at the end, a threat when shooting jumpers and, all in all, a great, great teammate. Vince Carter has earned his stripes and my hat is off to him. Now he gets to enjoy retirement.

What a career. A Hall of Fame worthy one if you ask me.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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