Very few players in the NBA play on in their 40s. The most recent one was Vince Carter. Drafted in 1998, Carter played in the NBA for 22 years, and retired this season. As he showed up for the Atlanta Hawks this season, he became the third-oldest player to ever play in the league.
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Recently he made an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up alongside former coach David Fizdale. Carter played under Fizdale during his days at Memphis. When Fizdale was asked to share a moment from Carter’s time at the Grizzlies, he recollected Carter’s 360 layup against the Raptors from 2017.
“I run a drop play to him,” Fizdale said. “Zebo dropped it to (Carter). This guy spins baseline and does a 360° the wrong way. He just made me feel better about my age and there’s some kind of hope for older guys. I was just blown away when he did it.”
Vince Carter: Half Man, Half Amazing
Carter then explained how he calculated the move to beat the defender. “When you play the game long enough, you have different moves in your arsenal. I knew the big man was a shot blocker. If I can get to the other side of the basket, I have a chance to make the layup.”
Despite being 39 at that time, Carter had no qualms about pulling it off. “I’ve used this move a couple of times so I felt comfortable doing so even though some people at that age would say ‘what are you doing?’ I still felt comfortable. And it worked.”
Despite being one of the best dunkers of all time, Carter participated in the Dunk Contest only once. In the 2000 edition, he blew his opposition away as he took home the crown.
Age never stopped VC from dunking. Even after crossing 40, Carter has been dunking effortlessly. Playing at the Hawks in his final seasons, he was a mentor to the young unit that included promising talents like Trae Young, John Collins, and Kevin Huerter. As he bowed out of the game, fans will remember him as one of the most loved players in the league.
