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He made the announcement on the Winging It
podcast, saying, "I'm officially finished playing basketball."
Carter, 43, was the No. 5 overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft and
played his first six-plus seasons with the Toronto Raptors,
winning the Rookie of the Year award in 1999 and the NBA Dunk
Contest in 2000. He made eight consecutive All-Star teams from
2000-07.
The Hawks were the final stop of Carter's NBA journey, as he
spent the past two seasons as a veteran presence on a young
Atlanta team. He also played with the New Jersey Nets (2004-09),
Orlando Magic (2009-10), Phoenix Suns (2010-11), Memphis
Grizzlies (2014-17) and Sacramento Kings (2017-18).
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement, "Vince Carter
has made an indelible impact on the NBA with his remarkable
skill and enduring commitment. For a record 22 years, he played
with pure joy and created so many memorable moments as an
eight-time All-Star, a Slam Dunk champion and an Olympic gold
medalist. We congratulate Vince on a storied career and thank
him for being a true ambassador of the game."
"Over the last two years, Vince Carter has been a committed
leader, respected mentor and influential example on the court,
in the locker room and in the Atlanta community," the Hawks said
in a team statement. "Throughout his historic 22-year journey
covering an unprecedented four different decades, his evolving
career arc was perhaps like none other in league history -- from
Top 5 Draft Pick to Rookie of the Year to Slam Dunk Champion to
superstar and eight-time All-Star to Twyman-Stokes Teammate of
the Year and valuable role player. It's an honor to the Hawks
organization that he completed his Hall of Fame career wearing
Atlanta across his chest and representing our city."
Carter averaged more than 20 points per game in 10 seasons, with
a career high of 27.6 in 2000-01.
He retires with career averages of 16.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and
3.1 assists per game.
The North Carolina product played 60 games for the Hawks in the
2019-20 season, averaging 5.0 points in 14.6 minutes per game.
The Hawks are not among the teams who will finished the
coronavirus-interrupted season near Orlando, Fla., beginning
next month.
He scored five points in his final career game, an overtime loss
to the New York Knicks on March 11 -- the day the season was
suspended.
Carter's 22nd season surpassed the 21 played by Robert Parish,
Kevin Garnett, Kevin Willis and Dirk Nowitzki.
--Field Level Media
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