Former UNC star Vince Carter announced his retirement from the NBA this week on his podcast after a historic 22-year career in the league.
Carter, who played for Dean Smith at Carolina, was drafted by the Toronto Raptors in 1998 and saw time with seven other teams in his career. He was the 1999 NBA Rookie of the Year, an eight-time NBA All-Star and was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 2001.
But Carter’s lasting legacy on the game of basketball was his dunking ability. He won the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest and routinely amazed the national audience with monster dunks in games.
The official Carolina basketball Twitter account recognized Carter’s legacy, mentioning that Carter was the only player in NBA history to play in four different decades.
To commemorate the moment, the NBA shared a video of Carter ranking his Top-10 dunks in the league.
As several people pointed out, Carter’s career gave him the opportunity to play against some of the best in the game. He faced off against legends like Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing, but also up-and-coming stars like Ja Morant, Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum.
Various NBA teams — including some who he didn’t play for — took to social media to praise Carter’s legacy on the game.
https://twitter.com/ATLHawks/status/1276308394849304576?s=20
Current and former NBA players also took to social media to congratulate Carter.
https://twitter.com/Giannis_An34/status/1276353850224631809?s=20
Carter’s retirement marked the last active NBA player to be coached by Smith in Chapel Hill.
Featured image via AP Photo/Richard W. Rodriguez.
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