It’s a shame that the relationship between Vince Carter and the Toronto Raptors ended in such a negative way. Why? Because it kind of takes away from Carter’s insane career up north, which is the inspiration for this highlight video that the NBA released on Tuesday.
The video is a wonderful look into how dynamic a player Carter was in Toronto from 1999 until 2005, when he was one of the best scorers in the NBA and quite possibly the best dunker on Earth. Young Vince was this insane mix of freakish athleticism, otherworldly jumping ability, abundant confidence, and a nearly 7-foot wingspan that was able to do a full rotation in approximately a quarter of a second.
These traits all led to Carter possessing the ability to dunk on, around, and occasionally over guys. His moments of brilliance – of which there are plenty – weren’t just limited to games, as Carter put on the greatest show in the history of the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest back in 2000. The Dunk Contest jams are in the video above, but if you haven’t watched it in a while, take a few minutes and sit in awe at what young Vince was capable of doing.
Nowadays, Carter is still in the league, averaging 3.9 points per game for the Memphis Grizzlies in his 18th professional season. It’s awesome to see that he’s still getting playing time, and it certainly makes people long for the days when he was the most dynamic player in the NBA.
