At the height of his powers in a Toronto Raptors uniform, Vince Carter was one of the five best basketball players on the planet. His contemporaries were the likes of Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson—only in his prime Carter routinely beat out both when it came to all-star votes.

And while he defied gravity and helped inspire a generation of young basketball players across the country, Carter’s legacy hasn’t necessarily been built on winning. Yes, his Raptor teams remain among the most successful in franchise history, reaching the second round in 2000-01 against Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers (What happened then? Don’t worry about it, ok?). He did reach the Eastern Conference Finals once, with the Orlando Magic.

But when it comes to Carter’s legacy, it’s not about dunks, or all-star votes, or how he took the NBA by storm as a Raptors rookie and helped put a franchise on the map. No, when it comes down to Carter’s legacy one thing above all stands out: Longevity. At least, according to former teammate Jalen Rose, who says Carter is a lock for basketball’s highest honour.

“Vince Carter will definitely be in the Hall of Fame,” said Rose, who was a guest on the latest episode of Free Association—Sportsnet’s weekly Raptors podcast. “His numbers are already comparable to guys who are already in [the Hall of Fame]. With all due respect to Reggie Miller and Chris Mullin, two former teammates of mine, he probably has more all-star appearances than both of those guys combined.”

While the end of his Raptor legacy hurt his standing in the eyes of Canadian hoop fans (who, from the looks of things have gotten over it), there’s no doubting his performance in the NBA. Carter averaged at least 20 points per game for a decade beginning in 1999 and made eight straight all-star appearances during that span. He’s currently 25th on the list of the NBA’s all-time leading scorers—one of seven active players in the top 25.

Click here the full interview with Rose, in which he goes on to shed light on the relationship between Carter and the Raptors front office, as well as sharing insights on all things in Raptorland then and now. Remember to subscribe to Free Association here or on iTunes. And be sure to catch us every Tuesday at 11pm on SN590 The FAN