Vince Carter today retires after 22-year NBA career

Vince Carter today retires after 22-year NBA career

Vince Carter today announces retirement after 22-year NBA career: 'I'm officially done'. Some people in the NBA over the last two decades threw it down like Vince Carter. That high-flying trend, along with his longevity, will be his lasting legacy.Carter announced his retirement from professional basketball on Thursday after 22 seasons in the league with eight teams.

Vince Carter confirmed on Thursday that he has officially retired from basketball after a successful NBA career of 22 years.

Carter removed all doubts about his position during an appearance on The Ringer's Wing Podcast:

"I'm officially done playing basketball professionally," Carter said in a podcast hosted by the The Ringer and the Atlanta Hawks, the team he played for the past two years. "I'll play at home." 

Im officially playing basketball professionally, he said.The 43-year-old spent his 22nd and final NBA season with the Atlanta Hawks in 2019-20. As the Hawks are out of playoff contention, they were not invited to finish the season in Orlando, Florida. Thus, the Hawks season and Carters careers are over.

Fifth overall outside of North Carolina in the 1998 draft, "Vincent" captured Rookie of the Year honors with the Toronto Rappers, who swapped for him on draft night with the Golden State Warriors. He spent the first seven seasons of his career in Toronto until he was moved to the New Jersey Nets for half the time of the 2004–05 season.

While Carter did not know anything for the time, he made the final shot of his career with three points in a 136–131 overtime loss to the New York Knicks on March 11–13. The play was suspended due to a coronovirus epidemic after that game.

Carter played sparingly in 2019-20 and averaged a career-low 5.0 points and 14.6 minutes per game, but he served as a mentor and a positive veteran influence to younger players on the roster.

Carter's rise to stardom next hit the stratosphere when he won the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest in a fierce manner.

He played with the Nets until 2009, and was an eight-time All-Star by the time Carter left New Jersey. In his next stop - along with the Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks - Carter mostly came off the bench and contributed rather than being the primary scorer.

The eight-time All-Star bounced around frequently during the second half of his career as a member of the Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and Hawks. He will be remembered for his seven seasons with the Toronto Raptors and five seasons with the New Jersey Nets.

As his career hurt, the 43-year-old turned into a veteran player in the youth team, who wanted to bring young talent along. He spent one season with the Sacramento Kings, two with the Memphis Grizzlies and the last two with the Hawks. He is the first NBA player to play in four decades.

After the NBA postponed their season on March 11, Carter stated that by the end of the month he was confident he had played his last game. That idea crystalized when the Hawks were not included in the NBA's scheduled resume of play in Orlando.

"I felt that it was pretty much over, and that's kind of how I handled it," Carter said. "If there was any disappointment because of the season, if there was any of that, it was kind of easier to put it aside and handle it that way. It's something bigger than my career." 

Carter won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 1999, when he was selected for the fifth time out of North Carolina in the 1998 NBA Draft. He was named an All-Star in six of his seven seasons in Toronto and averaged 23.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.

He remains productive after a trade for the Nets with 23.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists. He never played in the NBA Finals, but helped the Raptors and Nets to the playoffs three times during his tenure.

Carter ranks third on the NBA's all-time list with 1,541 regular season games, and is ranked 19th on the NBA's all-time scoring list with 25,728 points, making him a strong Hall of Fame nominee.

Overall, he averaged 16.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game during his career.

His longest-lasting impact on the game may be the "Vinsanity" craze that came about early in his career thanks to his highlight-reel dunks and exciting style of play.

Carter brilliantly won the 2000 NBA Slam Dunk Contest and is considered the greatest dunk in basketball history during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney over French center Frederick Weiss. He was part of Team USA's gold-medal team.

While Carter played fewer roles during the second half of his career and hung around for the love of the game, there were few better scorers and athletes in the NBA during his prime.