Vince Carter Discusses Being Called The Best Dunker Ever

Every once in a while, Vince Carter has to remind us. He can still do it. Last night, he powered through the lane against OKC and put down a rendition of the spike dunk that was a mind-bending staple of his earlier years in Toronto and New Jersey. Those shots of adrenaline are few and far in-between nowadays with VC looking all of his 35 years of age. But when they come, they’re still spectacular to see, and when we put together our recent list of the top 20 dunkers in the NBA, Carter was right on the edge. Pretty good for a guy who’s supposed to be washed up, right?

Back when Carter was running SportsCenters, everyone didn’t always agree that he was the best dunker of all time. Michael Jordan is still MJ, and because of his legend, he also gets overrated as a dunker. Then others would say Dominique Wilkins or Shawn Kemp just to be different. However, eventually Carter’s reel of slams became so ridiculous we had to admit the obvious.

Recently, The Oklahoman spoke to Carter about his status as a high-flyer:

Question: How does it feel to be widely considered the best dunker of all time?
Vince Carter: “Oh man, I don’t know. That’s says a lot. I just think of all the players who’ve electrified the NBA for years. Dominique (Wilkins), M.J., Larry Nance, Kenny Walker. I mean, it’s always a great feeling. But it’s always a debate. Even with my friends I argue back and forth.”

Which dunkers were you a fan of?
“I was a Dominique fan. I’m a Dr. J fan No. 1. But I studied the art of the dunk for so long. I still have VHS tapes of dunk contests from back in the day that I used to watch to understand the thinking behind every dunk that they were doing. That’s how I approached it, like what was Dominique trying to get out of the two-hand windmill dunk? Was he just doing it to say, ‘Hey, I can do a two-hand windmill dunk?’ Or was he showing technique? I’m more into the technical side. I feel like you understand more about the move that he was trying to do. You have more of an appreciation for it.”

Carter went on to say his favorite dunk of all time was the Olympic slam over 7-2 Frederic Weiss, which is considered THE single greatest dunk in any game. Carter still has no idea how it happened. He still can’t explain it.

There are some fans who refuse to give Carter credit because they believed he never reached his potential. But as simply a dunker, you can’t deny him. He is the G.O.A.T.

Do you think VC is the best dunker ever?

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