‘Long live Vinsanity.’ Twitter reacts to Vince Carter’s NBA retirement after 22 seasons
In a sea of bright azure, the crowd was on their feet as they held their breath for a moment that would end up being frozen in time on that fateful evening in April 2014.
The San Antonio Spurs were leading 108-106 over the Dallas Mavericks when Vince Carter got his hands on the ball in the corner. Manu Ginobilli, the Spurs guard who just buried a runner with 1.7 seconds left in a vibrant attempt to steal Game 3 of the 2013-14 NBA playoffs, raised his hands high as he leaped into the air in front of the then 37-year-old Carter to block the soon-to-be legendary three.
It was no use.
As time expired and Carter was in the process of becoming a victim of gravity as he seemed to fall in slow motion out of bounds, landing in a series of quick mini bounces, the three sunk.
It was the twin shot of the infamous corner jumper Carter had missed in Game 7 of the 2001 Western Conference semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers when he was with the Toronto Raptors.
A twin only in the fraternal sense, because the 3-pointer made 13 years later hit its mark.
The sound of the crowd was deafening and echoed throughout the American Airlines Center and beyond. They watched as Carter was rushed by teammates as he walked, chest puffed out, toward the center of the court.
That Carter, with his white headband seemingly glowing in victory, is the Carter that Mavericks fans will remember as he walks into the sunset of retirement on Thursday, six years after that victory.
Does anyone remember that the Mavericks would go on to lose the first round of the Western Conference to the Spurs in seven games? A little, and the sting still haunts, but it’s Carter’s shot that lives on, vivid in the minds of fans.
‘I’m officially done’
During an appearance on The Ringer’s “Winging It With Vince Carter” podcast, Carter confirmed that the final chapter in his 22-year career was finished.
The eight-time All-Star had initially announced that the 2019-20 NBA season would be his last after signing a one-year deal with the Atlanta Hawks, ESPN reported, but he remained hushed after the season was suspended on March 11 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
After the news became official, the love started pouring in on Twitter.
“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,” the Hawks said in a statement. “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.”
Slam Magazine noted that Carter was the only NBA player to play in four different decades.
“Vince Carter retires as one of five players in NBA history to score more than 25,000 points, grab more than 5,000 rebounds, dish out more than 4,000 assists and make more than 500 made 3-pointers,” one Twitter user pointed out.
“I’ll be forever thankful for you taking rookie JC under your wings and helping mold me into the pro I am today!” NBA player Jae Crowder tweeted.
And, because it’s Twitter, there were the loving jokes.
“LONG LIVE VINSANITY,” tweeted Whistle Sports.
The final shot
ESPN marked Twitter with the video of the final shot of Carter’s career, which occurred in a Hawks uniform as they played against the New York Knicks (a contest they ended up losing).
The announcement was already made that the rest of the NBA season was to be suspended at the conclusion of the game. In overtime, when it was made clear that the Knicks would end up stealing the win, the crowd began to chant, “We want Vince!”
With 19.5 seconds left, Carter checked back into his final game.
And in true Vince fashion, the final shot was in the tune of a familiar, yet perfect, uncontested 3-pointer.
“It’s one of those moments, people, if they think of a game-winning shot, you think sometimes you want to shoot the ball and you want it to be perfect,” he told The Ringer in April. “You want to have the perfect form, the perfect arc, the perfect follow-through, the whole nine. I’ve always been a guy where I believe, I’ve trusted all the work (I’ve put in) and I hadn’t been shooting the ball well in my opinion all year, but when it came down to a shot I needed to make, it was like second nature and I had done it before. So Trae [Young] throws the ball, I take my one-two step and just shoot it like I’d been playing the whole game.
“It’s giving me chills right now, actually. It was kind of a chilling moment to see it go in. Because at first I was like all right, the season’s going to [come] back. But at the same time, I was like, just in case it doesn’t, you might want to try and make this.”
Reflecting on his final game, in the post presser following the Hawks loss, he got emotional. “I’m appreciative. ... It’s cool ... the game’s been good.”
The irony
Carter averaged 16.7 points per game in his career and currently ranks No. 19 on the all-time scoring list with 25,728 points, according to Yahoo Sports. He appeared in 1,541 NBA games and started his career with Toronto before joining New Jersey, Orlando, Phoenix, Dallas, Memphis, Sacramento and then Atlanta.
Carter noted on the Ringer podcast that his first season in 1998-99 was shortened to 50 games because of labor strife while his final season was cut short by the coronavirus.
‘’It’s kind of a cool situation for me because I came into the league on a shortened season and I walk away from the league on a shortened season,’‘ Carter said on the ‘‘Winging It’‘ podcast. ‘‘So for me, it’s just kind of a unique situation.’‘
The legend
He was rookie of the year in 1999 and won the slam dunk contest in 2000. A lot will remember him by his famous dunk over the 7-foot-2 French center Frederic Weis during the 2000 Sydney Olympics when USA took home the gold medal.
Carter did note on the Ringer that he would still play basketball, but for fun.
‘’I’ll play at home.’‘