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Vince Carter

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Vince Carter
New Jersey Nets
PositionShooting guard/Small forward
Personal information
Born (1977-01-26) January 26, 1977 (age 47)
Daytona Beach, Florida
NationalityCanada
Listed height9,999 ft 0 in (3,047.70 m)
Listed weight299 lb (136 kg)
Career information
CollegeNorth Carolina
NBA draft1998: 5th overall
Selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs
Playing career1998–present
Career highlights and awards
8-time All-Star
2-time All-NBA Selection
1999 NBA Rookie of the Year
2000 NBA Slam Dunk Champion
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com

Vincent Lamar "Vince" Carter (born January 26, 1977) is an American All-Star basketball player in the NBA. He currently a player and co-captain for the New Jersey Nets. He is considered one of the best shooting-guards, dunkers, and finishers in the game today.

Biography and career

Vince Carter, born in Daytona Beach, Florida, was a McDonald's All-American player in 1995 out of Mainland High School in Daytona Beach.[5] Carter enjoyed tremendous popularity during his initial years in the NBA, especially after showcasing his athletic abilities in the 2000 All-Star Slam Dunk Contest, which he competed alongside teammate and second cousin[6] Tracy McGrady. He took the newly franchised Toronto Raptors to new heights as he helped the team to three playoff berths. Until 2006 Carter had perennially topped All-Star team voting. He currently plays for the New Jersey Nets.

Toronto Raptors

Carter was drafted by the NBA's Golden State Warriors 5th overall and then traded to the Toronto Raptors for Antawn Jamison, his UNC college teammate and best friend[7]. Carter and Jamison played together at the University of North Carolina. Carter's rookie season was the shortened 50-game 1999 season after the NBA locked-out its players in 1998-99. Carter started almost every game for coach Butch Carter and eventually won the NBA Rookie Of the Year Award.[8] The next year, Carter was selected to an All-Star Team for the first time, and showcased his athleticism and dunking abilities in the 2000 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. He won the contest by performing an array of dunks including a 360º windmill, a between the legs, and an "elbow dunk."[7] Though he has not competed in the dunk contest since, Carter has been voted into the Eastern Conference NBA All-Star Team starting lineup several times through fan balloting.[9]

In Carter's first two seasons, his teammate was cousin and future all-star Tracy McGrady; the two would form a formidable one-two punch as Raptor teammates. Though initially tight and close on the surface, McGrady often found himself in Carter's shadow. While Carter was responsible for scoring, it was McGrady's job to be the team's defensive stopper and ball distributor.[citation needed] The duo of Carter and McGrady led the Raptors to their first playoff berth in the 2000 NBA Playoffs, but they were swept by the New York Knicks in 3 games. Upon McGrady's departure to the Orlando Magic the following season, Carter became the Raptors' franchise player.

On the morning of the day of Game 7 of the 2001 Eastern Conference playoffs (Raptors vs Philadelphia 76ers), Sunday, May 20, he attended his UNC graduation, although he arrived in Philadelphia before the rest of the team did. In that game, Carter missed a game-winning shot with 2.0 seconds remaining and shot just 6 of 18 from the field.[10]

In the summer of 2001, Carter signed a $94-million, six-year extension with the Raptors.[11] In addition, Carter announced that he would be hosting a charity basketball game featuring fellow NBA stars that would be played at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on August 3, 2001. The success of the first game encouraged Carter to make the game an annual summer event.

During the 2003 NBA All-Star Game, under great public pressure, Carter gave up his starting All-Star spot to the Washington Wizards' Michael Jordan to allow Jordan to make his final start as an All-Star.[12]

As his Raptor tenure progressed, Raptor fans began to witness a transition in Carter's offensive game that featured more perimeter shooting. This was in stark contrast to Carter's initial repertoire of regular drives to the hoop for dunks which had subsequently gone on a decline. This, combined with Carter's chronic injury problems, predominantly from Jumper's Knee[13], had Raptor fans questioning his toughness & durability. Carter's work ethic was also questioned with his play declining as the years went on, culminating in a mediocre 15.9 points per game in 2004-2005 [14] and the team failing to make the playoffs. Carter became frustrated with the Raptors management team as he felt they failed to surround him with players who could help carry the load offensively.[citation needed] On November 22, 2004, when pressed by the local media about his lack of dunks, Carter responded, "I don't want to dunk anymore."[15]

In late December 2004, there were allegations that Carter tipped off the opposing Seattle SuperSonics (the Raptors' opponents on November 19, 2004) of an upcoming Raptors play by yelling "It's a flare! It's a flare!".[16]

"The Dunk of Death"

Olympic medal record
Men's Basketball
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney United States

During the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Carter performed a memorable dunk when he flew over 7-foot-2 (2.18 m) French center Frédéric Weis. Carter took off, spread his legs in midair, and slightly scraped Weis's head before slamming the ball. Teammate Jason Kidd said it was "One of the best plays I've ever seen". The French media later dubbed it "le dunk de la mort" ("the Dunk of Death").[17]

New Jersey Nets

Carter made it clear in the 2004 offseason that he wanted to be traded from the Raptors.[18] On December 17, 2004, Raptors General Manager Rob Babcock traded Carter to the New Jersey Nets for Alonzo Mourning, Eric Williams, Aaron Williams and two future first-round draft picks. The trade to the Nets, combined with Carter's increasingly declining popularity with Raptors fans, also put an end to his charity basketball games in Toronto, with the last one being played in the summer of that year.

In early January 2005, he admitted in a television interview with TNT's John Thompson to not giving effort in his last months as a Raptor; when asked if he always played hard, Carter replied, "In years past, no. I was fortunate to have the talent. You get spoiled when you’re able to do a lot of things. You see that you don’t have to work at it.”[19]

Months after the TNT interview, Carter returned to Toronto as a member of the Nets on April 15, 2005. Carter scored 39 points in front of a hostile Toronto Raptors crowd that booed him throughout. The fans chanted his name the entire game, but the Nets won 101–90.[20]

Carter guided the Nets to an eighth-place seed in the 2005 NBA Playoffs.[21] Although New Jersey was swept in the first round by the Miami Heat[22], Carter finished the series with averages of 26.8 points per game, 8.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists[14]; highlighted by a buzzer-beating two point fadeaway shot in the first overtime of Game 3 that forced a second overtime.[23]

Carter returned to Toronto on January 8, 2006 for the third time since his trade to the New Jersey Nets, and was given the same treatment by the fans that he received the first time he played against the Raptors in the Air Canada Centre.[24] With the Nets trailing 102–104, Carter hit the winning three-point shot with 0.1 seconds left on the game clock and finished with 42 points and 10 rebounds. Carter considers this winning shot as his greatest ever, considering the atmosphere, the emotion and the hostility in the arena.[25]

In the 2005-06 NBA season, he co-led the Nets to 49 wins, an Atlantic Division title, and the number three seed in the playoffs, while averaging 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. He led the Nets to the second round of the playoffs before losing to the eventual NBA champions Miami Heat in five games. Carter averaged 29.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 11 playoff games.

On February 1, 2007, Carter was named, along with teammate Jason Kidd, as a reserve to the 2007 NBA All-Star Game, after losing out on a starting spot to Gilbert Arenas by 3,010 votes.[26] Both Carter and Kidd made their eighth All-Star game appearance.[27]

Carter has a player option in his contract that, if he does not exercise, will make him a free agent in the summer of 2007.[28]

In a 120–114 overtime win over the Washington Wizards, April 7, 2007, Vince Carter and Jason Kidd became the first teammates in over 18 years to record triple-doubles in the same game since the Chicago Bulls' Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen achieved this feat against the Los Angeles Clippers in 1989. Carter finished with 46 points, a career-high 16 rebounds, and 10 assists. Kidd finished with 10 points, tied a career-high with 16 rebounds, and tied a season-high with 18 assists. Carter's Triple Double is the second highest total for a triple double, second only to Alvin Adams of the Pheonix Suns who tallied 47 points and 18 rebounds over 30 years ago. [29]

Awards and achievements

  • 8-time NBA All-Star selection: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 (2002-did not play due to injury)
  • 2-time All-NBA:
    • Second Team: 2001
    • Third Team: 2000
  • NBA Slam Dunk Champion 2000
  • NBA All-Rookie First Team: 1999
  • NBA Rookie of the Year Award: 1999
  • The Sporting News NBA Rookie of the Year: 1999[30]

NBA playoff records

  • Co-holds NBA playoff record for most three-point field goals made in one game with 9 (May 11, 2001 vs. Philadelphia 76ers, Eastern Conference semi Finals).[31]
  • Holds NBA playoff record for most three-point field goals made in one half with 8 (same game as above).[31]
  • Holds NBA playoff record for most consecutive three-point field goals made in one game with 8 (same game as above).
  • Holds NBA playoff record for most consecutive three-point field goals made in one half with 8 (same game as above).

New Jersey Nets franchise records

  • Holds for most three-point field goals made in one game with 9 (December 11, 2006 vs. Memphis Grizzlies)
  • Holds for most points scored in one season with 2,070 (2006-07)
  • Holds for most consecutive 20 or more point games with 23 (2005-06).
  • He is the first Net to score at least 2,000 points in a single season. (2006-07)[32]

Toronto Raptors franchise records and milestones

  • Holds for most career points scored with 9,420
  • Holds for most points scored in one game with 51 (February 27, 2000 vs. Phoenix Suns)
  • Co-holds for most points scored in one quarter with 20 (November 7, 2001 vs. Golden State Warriors)
  • Co-holds for most field goals made in one game with 20 (January 14, 2000 vs. Milwaukee Bucks)
  • Holds for most points scored in a playoff game with 50 (May 11, 2001 vs. Philadelphia 76ers, Eastern Conference Semi Finals)
  • Ranks 3rd for games played with 403
  • Ranks 1st for games started with 401
  • Ranks 1st for total points with 9,420
  • Ranks 1st for total minutes with 15,154
  • Ranks 2nd for three-pointers made with 554
  • Ranks 2nd for three-pointers attempted with 1,445[33]

Video game and TV appearances

  • Vince appeared on a T-Mobile commercial, talking to his family on a cell phone to demonstrate the extra minutes. He also appeared on various commercials for Nike and Gatorade.
  • Carter's penthouse is a stage in the video game NBA Ballers.
  • Appeared on the cover of NBA Live 2004.
  • Also appeared on the cover of NBA Inside Drive 2002.

In popular culture

  • Mentioned prominently in the chorus of the track 'Slam Harder' by rap group Onyx.[34]
  • Was given a shout-out by rapper Foxy Brown on her "Broken Silence" CD: "I'm going to Vince Carter this."[citation needed]
  • Is referenced in Jurassic 5's song "The Game": "Malicious, vicious dunks, I'm Vince Carter".[35]
  • He is referred to by the nicknames Vinsanity, Half-Man Half-Amazing and his own initials V.C. In his Toronto days, he was also referred to as "Air Canada". Raptors announcer Chuck Swirsky also liked to refer to him by his full name, "Vincent Lamar Carter".
  • Is mentioned on the new G-Unit mixtape (Best of 50) "Watch me slam em down like Vince Carter" (50 Cent)[citation needed]
  • In the 1997 Dr. Dre album 2001, on the track Some L.A. Niggaz, Hittmann sings the lyrics, "I bang through, like Vince Carter from the baseline, don't waste my time."Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).[36]
  • Visited with the Duquesne University basketball team in Pittsburgh as a show of support after its shooting incident in September 2006. [37]

Notes

  1. ^ a b "Raptors receive three players and two picks". ESPN.com. 2004-12-18. Retrieved 2007-04-22.
  2. ^ "Raptors NBA TV To Air Carter Charity All-Star Game". raptors.com. 2003-07-24. Retrieved 2007-04-22.
  3. ^ Epstein, Jennifer. "Vinsanity Lands in New Jersey". nets.com. Retrieved 2007-04-22.
  4. ^ Wilner, Barry (Summer, 2000). "Dare to Not Dream Team". Retrieved 2007-04-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ "McDonald's All American Alumni" (pdf). McDonald's. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
  6. ^ Sheppard, Robert (1999-04-26). "Raptors' Skywalker Cousins". Retrieved 2007-04-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ a b Velasco, Dennis. "Vince Carter Player Profile". About Basketball. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
  8. ^ "Rookie of the Year". NBA.com. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
  9. ^ "Vince Carter Info Page – Bio". NBA.com. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
  10. ^ "Philadelphia Rapts Up Series With Toronto". NBA.com. 2001-05-20. Retrieved 2007-04-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ "SI's 2001-02 NBA Preview: Toronto Raptors". CNNSI.com. 2001-10-29. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
  12. ^ Zeisberger, Mike (2004-12-18). "Vince's wild ride". Retrieved 2007-04-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ "Vince Carter out four weeks". cbc.ca. 2007-11-22. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
  14. ^ a b "Vince Carter Info Page – Career Stats". NBA.com. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
  15. ^ "Raptors' Carter not dunking anymore". TSN.ca. 2004-11-22. Retrieved 2007-04-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ Macleod, Robert (2004-12-20). "Did Carter slip secrets to opposition?". Retrieved 2007-04-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ Hench, Kevin (2006-11-30). "Top 10 'Best Damn' dunks". Fox Sports (USA). Retrieved 2007-04-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ "Vince Carter demands trade: report". cbc.ca. 2004-09-17. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
  19. ^ "Ex-teammates surprised at comments". 2005-01-08. Retrieved 2007-04-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ "Carter Scores 39 Points In Return to Toronto". NBA.com. 2005-04-15. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
  21. ^ "2004-05 Conference Standings". NBA.com. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
  22. ^ "HEAT: Playoff History 2005". NBA.com. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
  23. ^ "Miami Outlasts Nets in Thriller". NBA.com. 2005-04-28. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
  24. ^ "Clutch Carter Carries Nets to 10th Straight". NBA.com. 2006-01-08. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
  25. ^ "New Jersey Nets/Toronto Raptors Recap". Yahoo! Sports. 2006-01-08. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
  26. ^ "Arenas edges Carter for starting nod; LeBron is top pick". ESPN.com. 2007-02-17. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
  27. ^ "Jason Kidd and Vince Carter named to 2007 Eastern Conference All-Star Team". Retrieved 2007-04-18.
  28. ^ "NBA Salaries – New Jersey Nets". HoopsHype. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
  29. ^ "Kidd, Carter match feat not done since Jordan, Pippen in 1989". ESPN.com. 2007-04-07. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
  30. ^ "Vince Carter – NBA Players". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 2007-04-23.
  31. ^ a b "Playoff Records: 3-pt Field Goals – Game". NBA.com. Retrieved 2007-04-25.
  32. ^ "Nets Notes" (PDF). Nets.com. Retrieved 2007-04-25.
  33. ^ "Raptors Notes" (PDF). Raptors.com. Retrieved 2007-04-25.
  34. ^ "lyrics | Onyx – Slam Harder". SongMeanings. Retrieved 2007-05-03.
  35. ^ "lyrics | Jurassic 5 – The Game". SongMeanings. Retrieved 2007-05-03.
  36. ^ Mainland High School :: Listed Calendar. Retrieved on April 9, 2007.
  37. ^ "NBA Star Visits Duquesne To Support Shooting Victims". Wpxi.com. 2006-09-26. Retrieved 2007-04-18.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vince_Carter&oldid=128718691"