Posted on by

22-year-old NBA legend Vince Carter has been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame

22-year-old NBA legend Vince Carter has been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame

Vince Carter’s many nicknames — Vinsanity, Half-Man/Half-Amazing, Air Canada and so on — added another enduring title Sunday night: Hall of Famer.

Carter, along with Chauncey Billups, led a 13-member 2024 class of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees in Springfield, Massachusetts.

An eight-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA selection and 1999 NBA Rookie of the Year, Carter’s playing career spanned 22 years with eight different franchises. His superior athleticism wowed audiences everywhere he went, and his ferocious slams – both in games and in dunk contests – were a sight to behold.

One of those eight teams Carter played for was the Orlando Magic, with whom he spent the entire season at age 33 and with whom he began his season at age 34. He is the only player in NBA history to have a career spanning four decades, and he is also a two-time gold medalist with USA Basketball – appearing at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2003 FIBA ​​Americas Championship in San Juan at the top of the podium.

With the Magic, Carter appeared in 97 games and started 96, averaging 16.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. His only full season with the Magic came a year after the franchise’s second appearance in the NBA Finals, ending the year with a loss in the Eastern Conference Finals. That year, 2009-10, Orlando had a 59-23 record and four double-digit points per game: Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, Carter and Jameer Nelson.

The Magic wished Carter well on social media following his official appointment:

Over the course of his entire career, during which he spent most of his time with Toronto and New Jersey, he played in 1,541 games and made 982 starts. His final season came in the 2019-2020 season with the Atlanta Hawks, when he left the court one final time at the age of 43.

Orlando Magic guard Vince Carter watches from the bench

Orlando Magic guard Vince Carter (15) watches from the bench during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center. The Bucks defeated the Magic 96-85. / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Carter, a native of Daytona Beach, Florida, enters the hall to join his family. His cousin, former 16-year NBA legend and former Magic player Tracy McGrady, was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player in 2017.

He joined his cousin and Hall colleague on stage to celebrate Carter’s incarnation on Sunday night.

Both the Raptors and Nets will honor Carter with his No. 15 jersey retirement ceremonies this season.

Consequences ‘Orlando Magic on SI‘ on Facebook and like our page. Follow Magic Beat reporter Mason Williams on Twitter/X @mvsonwilliams. Also bookmark ours Homepage This way you never miss a story.