NBA Player Profile – Vince Carter
Name: Vince Carter
Team: Phoenix Suns
Position: Shooting Guard
NBA Statistics: 22.4 (points), 5.3 (rebounds), 4.1 (assists)
Background: When one thinks of a player destined for greatness who never truly achieved, the name Vince Carter is easily one of the first names that come to mind.
Born January 26, 1977 in Daytona Beach, Florida, Carter was an elite player from as early as high school. He was a 1995 McDonald’s All-American at Mainland High School, moving on to the University of North Carolina (UNC) in 1995.
He spent three seasons at UNC in a formidable starting line-up that included current Cleveland Cavaliers’ player Antawn Jamison. While his on-the-court achievements were outstanding, these were not the only things that made the name Vince Carter known among the masses; at 18-years-old, he was only the second collegiate athlete ever to own his own website.
He declared himself eligible for the NBA Draft in 1998 and was drafted as the fifth overall pick by the Golden State Warriors who instantly traded him to the Toronto Raptors. Averaging 18.3 points per game, Vince Carter claimed the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in a shortened 50-game season.
In the two seasons that followed he took the Raptors to the play-offs, however, he never achieved the ultimate prize of NBA champion. While at the Raptors he also won the 2000 NBA Slam Dunk Contest with an array of dunks that still has pundits saying it the best Slam Dunk performance ever. Since then, he has been traded to the New Jersey Nets, the Orlando Magics and the Phoenix Suns.
Among his many achievements thus far Carter is one of three players (Michael Jordan and Julius Erving being the other) to gain the most votes for the NBA All-Star Game on three or more occasions.
