One of the NBA’s most beloved veterans announced that he’ll return for the 2018-19 campaign on Tuesday evening, as Dirk Nowitzki told the press that he’s coming back for his 21st year in the NBA. A day later and we learned that Vince Carter plans on doing the exact same thing.
In a piece for ESPN’s The Undefeated, Carter told Marc J. Spears that he feels like he’s in a place physically where he can return for his 21st season, which would tie the record for the all-time lead in seasons played in NBA history. Carter did, however, say that he’s almost positive that 2018-19 will be his last.
“I plan on coming back next season,” Carter said. “I plan on coming back one more season. I’m almost 90 percent sure that’s it after next season. … You kind of go through the season, especially when the end is near and you say, ‘Hey, how do I feel?’ The summertime kind of dictates it all.
“I always said I’ll walk away from the game when I’m not willing to put the work in to be prepared for the season,” Carter continued. “I wouldn’t disrespect the game like that.”
While his Half-Man/Half-Amazing days might be gone, Carter was a productive member of the Kings’ rotation in limited minutes this year, averaging 5.3 points in 17.6 minutes per game largely off the bench. He’s an unrestricted free agent this summer, and said that even if he doesn’t come back to Sacramento, he thinks he can be a valuable asset to a team.
“I’m sure there will be a lot of teams that’ll make moves and have spots available and are going to need something from a guy,” Carter said. “Hopefully that I can bring to the table.”
As is the case with Nowitzki, there’s something comforting about knowing that Carter is in the NBA. No matter where he ends up — whether it be Sacramento or somewhere else (like, say, Toronto) — hopefully we get a few more highlights out of Carter before he calls it a career.
