Vince Carter announced earlier this off-season that he would set an NBA record next year by playing in his 22nd professional season, but he made that announcement as a free agent. He announced on Monday who he would be setting that record with, as the veteran is re-signing with the Atlanta Hawks. The 42-year-old spent this past season with Atlanta, and will continue to be a player/coach for a rebuilding franchise.
The Hawks can really benefit from keeping Carter on their roster, as they currently have seven players who are under the age of 23. The forward will pass Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Willis, and Robert Parish as players who have played in 21 NBA seasons. Also, assuming he stays healthy and plays in the calendar year 2020, he will be the first player in NBA history to play in four different decades.
It is no secret that the former highlight-reel dunker is past his prime, which he will admit, but when he does retire at the end of this season, he will be going out with a lot of acolades. That includes the 2000 Slamk Dunk Championship with the Toronto Raptors, an Olympic Gold Medal, and the 1999 Rookie of the Year Award. Coming in to this season he has averaged 17 points per game over 1,481 games, including 76 regular season games this past season, where he recorded 7.4 points per game. He does not anticipate sitting out a lot of contests in his final season, as he still feels as if he can compete, despite averaging just 17 minutes per game a season ago.
The Hawks can really benefit from keeping Carter on their roster, as they currently have seven players who are under the age of 23. The forward will pass Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Willis, and Robert Parish as players who have played in 21 NBA seasons. Also, assuming he stays healthy and plays in the calendar year 2020, he will be the first player in NBA history to play in four different decades.
It is no secret that the former highlight-reel dunker is past his prime, which he will admit, but when he does retire at the end of this season, he will be going out with a lot of acolades. That includes the 2000 Slamk Dunk Championship with the Toronto Raptors, an Olympic Gold Medal, and the 1999 Rookie of the Year Award. Coming in to this season he has averaged 17 points per game over 1,481 games, including 76 regular season games this past season, where he recorded 7.4 points per game. He does not anticipate sitting out a lot of contests in his final season, as he still feels as if he can compete, despite averaging just 17 minutes per game a season ago.
