Vince Carter had a long career in the NBA. He spent 22 seasons in the league while playing for eight different teams. But his best years were spent while donning the jerseys of the Toronto Raptors and the New Jersey Nets.
Even between those teams, his stint with the Raptors was the most memorable one among the fans. He played with the Raptors for seven seasons and averaged 23.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. Moreover, he earned six out of his eight All-Star selections while playing for the Raptors.
Anyway, Carter retired from the league after the 2019-20 NBA season. Since then fans have started to appreciate a little bit more about the legacy, he left behind in the league. So much so that when he turned 45-years-old yesterday, he received a lot of wishes.
Among them was an Instagram post by the page “NBA Buzz.” The post featured a quote by Jalen Rose around Carter. Rose compared Carter’s time in Toronto to be so great that he was considered the Michael Jordan of Toronto.
“Vince Carter was the Michael Jordan of Toronto. That’s why they call him ‘Air Canada.’ He should have a statue. When you unlock Canadian basketball to the world, see many Canadian players, that’s his legacy.”
For most, Michael Jordan is the GOAT of basketball. Apart from his contributions on the court, MJ was responsible for the globalization of the NBA.
Similarly, as Rose mentioned, seeing Carter made people from the world fall in love with Canadian basketball. Carter had an explosive playing style that was full of highlight-worthy moves.
We all remember his amazing dunk for Team USA, right? While Jalen Rose compared Carter to MJ, one time a 38-year-old Mike held Carter to 0 points in the second half. The reason for that was because Carter said he didn’t care which player guarded him.
Well, Jordan made sure to take that personally and give fans a memorable night in the game.
