More Than the Dunks: Vince Carter Made Fans Love Basketball in His 22 Seasons

Even during his 22nd season in the National Basketball Association NBA), many fans were still lining up wherever he plays just to see something special. After all, one of his monikers is "Half Man, Half-Amazing". And while he didn't win an NBA championship or even a Most Valuable Player award in the 22 seasons that he has kept us entertained with his slams, Carter is one of the few NBA players who didn't need to win anything just to make him one of the greatest players to ever play in the NBA.

Not to mention how he transformed Canada from a hockey country to a basketball country in his only first year in the NBA as explained in the movie, "The Carter Effect" which you can watch on Netflix. And that''s just one of the reasons why Vince Carter will forever be the heart and soul of the Toronto Raptors basketball. His legendary performance during the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest? Many pundits believed that that changed everyone else's perspective about the Raptors back then who prior to the arrival of Vinsanity to Canada wasn't winning games. They weren't able to even fill stadiums with fans. All of that changed instantly when the Raptors traded for Carter who was originally drafted by the Golden State Warriors as the fifth pick in the 1998 NBA Draft in exchange for Carter's college teammate, Antawn Jamison.

The fact that Vince Carter was able to transfer a Raptors team who weren't winning games before, into one of the most-watched teams in the NBA all throughout his stint in Toronto. And even though his later years in Toronto was mired by a series of injuries in his knee and hamstrings plus the fact that he asked for a trade in the off-season prior to the 2004-2005 season that made him a villain in Toronto, he remains as one of the most-loved athletes in the history of Canada and was even included in the tribute video that the Raptors played during the first half of the Raptors' game against the Memphis Grizzlies- the team which Carter was playing for in 2014, in celebration of the Raptors' 20th anniversary in the league. 

And while he didn't achieve the ultimate goal which is to win a championship, he stuck around- making him the only player in NBA history to be able to play for four decades and he's also one of the few NBA players to at least average 20 points, four rebounds, and three assists per game in 10 straight seasons. And while he won't be able to play in Orlando as his Atlanta Hawks aren't included in the teams that will play eight regular-season games to determine who will move on to the playoffs, Carter's longevity is something that has been admired by fans and pundits alike that some even made the petition for the NBA to consider including the Hawks in the resumption plan. However, there's a saying that goes "All good things must come to an end" and that includes Carter's time in the NBA as he officially announced his retirement after 22 high-flying seasons with eight different teams. 

If there's one legacy that Vince Carter will be remembered for, it's that he changed the way people look at dunks because Vince Carter's dunks brought the level of dunks in the league to an even higher level which makes him one of the greatest dunkers of all-time. That, and the fact that he was able to make the Raptors relevant in the NBA and in that aspect, that makes Vince Carter the Michael Jordan of Toronto.  

Photo is from Fox Sports