Published 10:28 IST, June 26th 2020
NBA legend Vince Carter officially retires after record 22 NBA seasons
Vince Carter retires: Carter recently appeared on Winging It podcast, where he announced that he was 'officially done playing basketball professionally'.
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NBA legend Vince Carter has announced his retirement after playing for a record-breaking 22 years in the league. Throughout the season, Carter received standing ovations from fans throughout the country, bidding farewell to the 43-year-old guard. As Carter was playing for the Atlanta Hawks, his last NBA season came to an abrupt end after the league announced their NBA restart plan where only the top 22 teams would travel to Orlando to compete for the title.
Vince Carter retires: Carter officially ends his 22-year NBA career
After 22 years, Vince Carter has announced his retirement.
— #ThankYouVince (@ringernba) June 25, 2020
Full #WingingItPod: https://t.co/rZcsbBRXQ1 pic.twitter.com/0YT8F2Poc5
Carter recently appeared on The Ringer's Winging It podcast, where he announced that he was 'officially done playing basketball professionally'. The guard played his final season with the Hawks, who finished their 2019-20 season with a 20-47 win-loss record. Carter's last shot was a three-pointer during the Hawks 136-131 overtime loss to the New York Knicks on March 11, the same day NBA suspended play due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the final year of his career, Carter averaged a career-low 5 points per game, while being a mentor to the young players on the team. After the league announced their plan for the NBA restart, fans had taken to Twitter to complain about how Carter's career ended and wanted to give him a proper farewell.
Vince Carter's final NBA game
How did Vince Carter's NBA career start?
Though he was drafted by the Golden State Warriors in 1998 as the fifth overall round one pick, he was traded to Toronto Raptors, where he played for six years before moving on the New Jersey Nets. Carter won the NBA Rookie of the Year award, was an NBA All-Star for six seasons while with the Raptors, where he averaged 23.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. While with the Nets, Carter averaged 23.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. While Carter never won an NBA championship, he helped the Raptors and Nets reach the playoffs three times. After his time with the Nets, Carter played for the Orlando Magic. After that, Carter played with the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings before signing with the Hawks in 2018.
NBA world reacts to Vince Carter's retirement
Celebrate @mrvincecarter15's high-flying career with where it all began... his @Raptors #NBAMixtape! #H15TORY pic.twitter.com/Gk2GV6bNz4
— NBA (@NBA) June 25, 2020
Dear @mrvincecarter15,
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) June 25, 2020
Thank you for inspiring a nation to believe.
Thank you for laying the foundation of basketball in Canada.
Thank you for letting us fly with you.
Thank you for a lifetime of memories.
Love, Canada pic.twitter.com/vTkWLfss4M
Plenty of battles with @mrvincecarter15 over the years.
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) June 25, 2020
Congrats on a great career! pic.twitter.com/kMkdzyCwFu
22 years of Vince Carter taking flight✈️#H15TORY x #TrueToAtlanta pic.twitter.com/TbXPHljci3
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) June 26, 2020
Half man, half amazing! The legend I subbed in for to start my NBA career! Congrats on an amazing career, enjoy your retirement! 👏👏👏 @mrvincecarter15 pic.twitter.com/rZURBtICLx
— Bogdan Bogdanovic (@LeaderOfHorde) June 25, 2020
Vince Carter's achievements over the years
Carter is ranked 19th on the NBA's all-time scoring list with 25,728 points, and third on the all-time list with 1541 regular-season games played. He is the only player in the NBA to have played for 22 season, which spanned over the period of four decades. One of Carter's iconic career moments was his victory during the 2000 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, where he dunked over Frederic Weis during the 2000 Supper Olympics in Sydney. While Carter has no NBA title to his name, he was a part of Team USA's 2000 gold-medal squad. His gameplay resulted in the term 'Vinsanity' being invented, which describes his style of play and his highlight-reel dunks. Carter averaged 16.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game during his career.
(Image source: @atlhawks official Instagram)
10:28 IST, June 26th 2020