Vince Carter Speaks On Evolving, Dunk Contest & Best Players He Ever Played With

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Vince Carter is known worldwide by basketball fans for the clinic he put on in the 2000 slam dunk contest in Oakland. His artistry above the rim ushered in a new era of athleticism and creativity for basketball players. The combination of that along with his in-game dunking prowess has earned him a spot among some of the greatest dunkers of all-time such as Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins and others.

People get lost in the aerial assault of Vinsanity and forget that this guy is one hell of a basketball player. 8 times an All-Star, 1998-99 rookie of the year, over 20,000 points scored in his career. Vince Carter has hall of fame credentials and could very well find his way in Springfield before it’s all said and done.

The impressive thing about Carter isn’t so much is dunking ability but more so his evolution as a player. He was at one point a top 10 player in the league and a franchise player but as time has progressed and he has lost a few steps he has had to become more of a role player. A lot of stars have a hard time accepting that role but VC flourishes in not being “The Guy” anymore. Last year at 36 years old he shot the ball at 40% clip from the 3-point line which is a feat he is only accomplished 3 other times career and hasn’t happened for him since 2005.

His percentage from beyond the arc placed him in the top 25 among NBA players in 3-point percentage. He averaged 2.0 field goals made last season for the Mavericks off the bench which put him in the top 20 in 3-point field goals made in the NBA. So Vince has made the seemingly impossible transition from “franchise player” to “productive role player”.

Vince is having himself another productive season off the bench in Dallas averaging 11.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists while shooting 36% from the 3-point line and earning a 15.75 player efficiency rating in 24.2 minutes. Thats pretty productive for a 37-year-old rotation player. When speaking on transition of roles in his career Carter said “It’s the next challenge in my career and I have accepted it as well as had some success with it”. It takes someone truly humble to accept that they are no longer one of the best players in the game but still be productive in a lesser role.

I spoke with Vince Carter following Dallas Mavericks practice and he was gracious enough with his time to allow me to pick his brain about many topics such as the dunk contest, his career and the best players he ever played with. Check out my interview with him in the video down below.