After 22 years of amazing basketball, and at the age of 43, Vince Carter has decided to call it quits. Carter announced his retirement on The Ringer’s podcast ‘Winging It‘ on Thursday.
The eight-time All-Star played the last two seasons of his career with the Atlanta Hawks. In Carter’s final game against the Knicks after the NBA announced it was suspending the season because of COVID-19, Carter hit a three in the final seconds of the game, which turned out to be the final points of his career.
Ending his career with a three was fitting when you consider that Carter was not only a great athlete and dunker, but he was an excellent shooter. Carter ends his career with 2,290 made three-pointers, which is sixth all-time in NBA history.
Carter, who put on maybe the greatest dunking exhibition in the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest, will go down as one of the greatest dunkers in league history.
In 1998, Carter was drafted fifth overall by the Warriors and was traded to the Raptors in a draft-day trade. Carter would win the 1999 Rookie of the Year with Toronto. He would go on to play for the Nets, Magic, Suns, Mavericks, Grizzlies, Kings, and Hawks. Carter is the only player in NBA history to play 22 seasons and play in four different decades.
Expect Carter to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer!
After Carter announced his retirement, the Hawks released a statement.
Read below:
“Over the last two years, Vince Carter has been a committed leader, respected mentor and influential example on the court, in the locker room and in the Atlanta community. Throughout his historic 22-year journey covering an unprecedented four different decades, his evolving career arc was perhaps like none other in league history – from Top 5 Draft Pick to Rookie of the Year to Slam Dunk Champion to superstar and eight-time All-Star to Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year and valuable role player. It’s an honor to the Hawks organization that he completed his Hall-of-Fame career wearing Atlanta across his chest and representing our city.”
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