We never thought this day would come but here it is. Vince Carter has officially announced his retirement from the NBA on The Ringer’s ‘Winging It With Vince Carter’ podcast, claiming he’s ‘officially done playing basketball professionally.’
Carter is one of the most beloved and respected players in NBA history. He’s the only player to make an appearance in 4 different decades and holds the record for most seasons playing in the league with 22.
The 43-year-old announced before the start of the season that this would be his final campaign in the league. Still, given the fact that the Hawks weren’t invited to the Orlando bubble and his career came to a sudden end, some speculated that he may be back for a well-deserved farewell tour, which is apparently not going to happen.
At least, he claims that he’s at peace with his decision to call it quits after a little over two decades:
“If there was any disappointment because of the season — any of that. It was kind of easier to put it aside and handle it that way. It’s like, OK, it’s something bigger than my career. (…) It’s unfortunate, but with the coronavirus taking people’s lives rapidly, that’s the big picture in my mind So I was able to put the weird ending — the abrupt stoppage of play, to an ending, aside for the bigger picture,” Vinsanity said.
Vince Carter put together a Hall-of-Fame worthy career. He never won an NBA Championship but he refused to ring-chase by joining contending teams towards the sunset of his career. He just wanted to hoop and mentor those who came after him.
Throughout his 22-year career, Carter played for the Raptors, Nets, Magic, Suns, Mavericks, Grizzlies, Kings, and Hawks, posting averages of 16.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.0 steals per game on 43/37/79 shooting.
He’ll go down as the man responsible for making the NBA a huge deal in Canada and as one of the greatest dunkers of all time. Half man, half amazing. Hopefully, he’ll get the praise and recognition around the league he deserves despite the abrupt ending to his career.
