Vince Carter retired from the NBA in 2020 after a 22-year career that was full of wins, dunks, and a bunch of people telling the general public how good Vince could ultimately be in his prime. However, some people felt that while Vince had natural talent, he lacked the necessary mindset to reach his full potential. Gilbert Arenas recently shared his thoughts on this topic during the latest episode of “Gil’s Arena.”
“Here’s my argument: everything he needed to be great, he didn’t do. He used it to stay in the league longer,” Arenas said.
Carter played 22 NBA seasons, making him the only player to do so until LeBron possibly breaks the record. Despite being a journeyman, he was able to contribute even in the later years of his career by adapting and adjusting to his role. In the last seven years of his career, he became a better jump shooter, particularly from beyond the arc.
“The three workouts a day, the film session, the summer–like not partying, really focusing to be–. You’re 24 averaging 28, to take that leap like the Kobes, the Michael Jordans. You didn’t do it. You became an NBA player, but you were so gifted. Like a Shaquille O’Neal, you’re just more gifted than everybody. You can just go into the summer not working out, not touching a ball, and go to training camp and still average 24, 25… Boobie Myles! When your career started to tween out that’s when you wanna take it seriously. So you’re doing whatever it takes to hang on,” Arenas explained.
One of Gil’s all-time favorite players growing up was Vince. “Gil’s Arena” contributor Rashad McCants asked if Arenas was questioning his work ethic, Gil explained that he was mad at history.
“I’m pretty sure there are players from the sixties, seventies, eighties that said ‘he should’ve been all world,’ and that was the guy for me. He’s my Hancock. He is the pet peeve of me. My first introduction to the NBA was Vince Carter pull it back, dunk. I even went into the locker room to get the autograph during warmups.” Hancock is a perfect example. In the film, Will Smith portrays a superhero with supernatural abilities, but he is also a known drunk who doesn’t particularly like being a hero. He helped the city he lived in only when it was convenient for him.
The Toronto Raptors and Vince Carter had a nasty breakup due to many reasons, but during the 2001 season, Carter averaged his career-high with 27.6 ppg. He faced off against Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference finals.
Before Game 7, Carter decided to walk across the stage and receive his degree from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Although this decision disappointed fans and people within the organization, it was important for Carter’s mom to see him graduate. He had to leave early and catch a flight to Philadelphia, arriving shortly after noon to prepare for the evening game.
Carter missed a go-ahead jumper with two seconds left in Game 7, and while some people may say he was not focused, sometimes the ball just doesn’t bounce in your favor.
Carter’s talent was evident; one of the best dunkers in NBA history. Gilbert questioned if he should be an NBA player watching him.
“I don’t know if anybody ever heard me say but I questioned if I was an NBA player because of him. It might just be me, I put him so high,” Gil said.
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