
Vince points the passer (Getty Images)
In the summer of 1998, a young man by the name of Vince Carter was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the fifth pick in the NBA Draft.
A former UNC standout, Carter helped the Tar Heels reach consecutive Final Four appearances and was named a second-team All-American during the 1997-98 season. Following the draft, the Warriors traded Carter to the Toronto Raptors, where he blossomed into a star. Carter’s legendary dunks earned him the nickname “Vinsanity” and he won the 1999 Rookie of the Year Award.
Nearly 20 years later, Carter is still dunking.
An eight-time All-Star, 41-year-old Carter is one of the longest-tenured players in NBA history. He is one of only seven players in league history to play for 20 seasons, joining NBA legends like Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Kevin Garnett, and has played for seven different teams during his career.
But as some players whither with age, Carter is still showing the younger generations how to play ball. In last year’s playoffs, Carter started all six games for the Memphis Grizzlies, averaged 32.5 minutes per game and racked up the highest field goal percentage of his playoff career. He is still dunking over younger players, as Aaron Gordon learned above, and has been courted in free agency despite his age.
Carter has a chance to break more records. If “Vinsanity” plays during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, he will break the record for most seasons played in NBA history. Carter, along with Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki, have a chance to make the record unreachable if they play a few more seasons. The next closest player is Milwaukee’s Jason Terry at 19 seasons.
So while Carter might be the oldest active player in the NBA right now, he still has a few more awesome dunks left in his career. If you’re under the net while Carter has the ball, watch out.
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